


A Case of Mistaken Identity / or / The Mutual Pining of Iron Man and Spider-man

by sulphuriccherry



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, In Love, Pining, Sexual Tension, Sexuality Crisis, Slow Burn, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-20 13:03:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 24,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20675837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sulphuriccherry/pseuds/sulphuriccherry
Summary: Peter texts his best friend about his crush on Mr. Stark but it isnt Ned who gets those texts.A story of love blooming, sexual identity crisis and starting a love affair to remember.Peter is 18+Tony returned. Pepper and Tony have no children.





	1. Sleepless in Spider-man

Peter had insomnia again, which as we all know, is one of the darkest and loneliest times. He lay in his bed listening to the sounds of the street outside his window. It was 1 am and luckily it was a Friday so he wouldn't have to get up early.

Ned was away in Europe somewhere, which was both a good thing and a bad thing. A bad thing because it means they can't hang out. But since Peter couldn't sleep and Ned was awake anyway, they had all the time in the world to chat.

Peter took out his phone and nearly dropped it, he forgot to turn down the brightness before bed. Christ, he was supposed to fix that. He spent all day tinkering with his phone to make it better. The contacts in his phone had muddled up for a while but he was sure he fixed it.

Thank god Aunt May knew about him being Spider-man bc he had tried to call Happy but got May instead. 

He texted Ned, hoping he would be near his phone and doing something nowhere near remotely fun so he could text Peter instead.

**P -** "Can't sleep again. Damn this insomnia. Up to anything or can you chat?" 

It took about five minutes for a reply. 

_ **N -** "I can chat. What's going on?" _

**P** \- " It's the same every night. The war. Losing Mr. Stark. I know he came back, but what if he didn't? What if I lost him forever." 

_ **N**\- " You think about that a lot?"  _

**P** \- " I haven't slept a full night since he died a year ago. He came back six months ago and it still hurts. I don't even have a right to be hurt."

_ **N** \- "Of course you do. He's your mentor."  _

**P** \- " He's more than that Ned and you know it. He's my mentor, my friend, my idol, and the most intelligent, bravest man I've ever known and will ever be in love with." 

_ **N** \- " In love? Like holding hands and 'til death us do part' kind of love?" _

**P** \- "Yes. Incredibly so. You can't tell a soul Ned, he's married. Pepper would kill me, they'd kick me off the Avengers. Id never see him again."

_ **N** \- "You're suffering, don't you think that telling him would ease your pain?" _

**P** \- "I'd rather be in his life forever as a bystander than tell him and be out of his life. I couldn't bear to lose him again. It would kill me." 

_ **N** \- " I didn't know you cared that much."  _

**P** \- "And Ned? Please don't tell anyone about that suicide attempt after he died. I don't need people knowing that."

It was a whole ten minutes before Peter got a reply. He figured Ned was just getting a drink or talking to his cousins. Still, he waited on a reply and stared at his phone.

_ **N** \- "Your secrets safe with me. What is it you see in him?"  _

**P** \- " How long have you got?"

_ **N** \- "Indulge me." _

**P** \- "He may not seem it, but he has a huge heart. He cares a lot about people, about protecting the ones he loves. He is brave, strong and a total badass. His intelligence is off the charts and you can always put your trust in him. You can see everything in his eyes, every little moment in the universe that makes you feel warm. His voice is the most attractive thing I've ever heard. So is he, mind you. Attractive isn't even the right word. A work of art. Need I go on or do you want me to start talking about his body?" 

Again, it was a few minutes before Ned replied.

_ **N** \- "You don't need to say anymore. I feel for you, I say go for it. If he is as nice as you say, he couldn't possibly fire you."  _

**P** \- "How do you go up to the world's best superhero, who's married to a woman, a billionaire, who could do and have anything he wants, and probably looks at you like a child, and say "do you know how much effort it is to be around you? It takes all my effort not to tell you how much I admire and love you, not to kiss your beautiful face and be the reason your eyes light up." 

_ **N** \- " Wow." _

**P** \- " Yeah." 

_ **N** \- " What are you thinking?" _

**P** \- " That Tony is it for me. That I know I seem young and stupid. But I will never be loved, not by him, not by anyone. Because no one matches up to him. And I'm just not good enough for him. I'm younger, less experienced. I've never even had sex with a man. MJ and me didn't work because she wasn't him."

_ **N** \- "That's deep. Why don't you think you're good enough?" _

**P** \- " You really think I could compare to Pepper? She's tall, beautiful, smart, talented, intelligent. She's just what he needs. Also, she's a woman.",

_ **N** \- "That doesn't mean much. Lots of people might pick you over her. You're smart, talented, intelligent. Some people might even say beautiful. You don't know his sexuality." _

**P** \- "True. But he wouldn't pick me over her. I'm worthless. I couldn't even save him. I should have taken the gauntlet not him." 

A few minutes passed again before a reply came through. 

_ **N** \- "Don't say that again. You're not worthless. God, it must be really late at night your time.."  _

_ **N** \- "Look, I think sleeping might help you feel a little better. I know it sucks. But imagine Mr. Stark beside you, his arm around you. You'll be asleep in no time." _

**P** \- "So usual protocol? I'll give it a try… Night Ned. Thanks for letting me talk. You're the only one in the world I can talk to about this."

_ **N** \- "Sleep well Peter, anytime." _

Peter put down his phone and lay down, thinking about lying there with the object of his affection, wrapped up in his arms as he hums a lullaby into his ear. 

-

Back in Stark towers, Tony watched his phone for a reply. Peter must have messed up his contacts again, he couldn't believe all this news. He knew Peter idolized him, but he had no idea it was love. No idea how much pain the boy was in.

The first thing that truly scared him was the suicide attempt. Had Peter really been driven to such a thing? God what if he came back and Peter was gone? What if a new spiderman had taken his place? Tony shook his head, he didn't want to think about it. It's horrible. He could feel himself tearing up and the thought of it. He can't lose him, not again. Seeing him disappear the first time made his entire heart shatter. Tony couldn't sleep for months either. Perhaps they weren't so different in that way. The respect he had for Peter was immense. 

_ "Do you know how much effort it is to be around you? It takes all my effort not to tell you how much I admire and love you, not to kiss your beautiful face and be the reason your eyes light up."  _

Tony read that over and over. Peter wasn't just crushing on the man. He had probably written "Mr. Peter Stark" on his college workbooks, a dream in his head of going out together, holding hands… going to bed together!

This really was a lot to process. 

He settled down his whiskey and closed his eyes. 

He thought about Peter. Every interaction, every smile. He had known Peter since he was what 14? Now he was 18, and a man. He wasn't a kid and he proved it on so many occasions.  Every time Tony glanced at him he was either working hard or trying to impress him. Sometimes he even caught the goofy smiles out of nowhere after Tony told Peter something. That scared him too, that he didn't see it. That a young and wonderful man who had his whole life ahead of him would set his heart on an older man like him. 18 and 43? It's not illegal, but it's frowned upon. Did Peter really see all these qualities in him? 

Peter had seen his flaws and loved him anyway. That's something special. 

Things started to get darker as be started remembering what he felt when he saw Peter die. The haunting words that kept him up at night.

"I don't wanna go. Please, Mr. Stark."

Before he knew it, Tony was breathing heavily, a slight panic in his heart. His eyes let out a few tears before he realized how affected he was.  He sat in silence, trying to regain his breathing as he tried to tell himself over and over again that they are both okay. He couldn't think about this anymore, the pain was unreal.

Yes, Tony did have a connection to the boy. But was it love for him? No. He hadn't ever looked at the man that way, but something tells him he might have to start. Because his brain won't leave it alone. Was he actually thinking about this? Tony was straight or at least lived as straight. Sure he has found other men 'attractive' in the past, but he told himself that doesn't mean anything.

Oh, the confusion was hurting his head. Before thinking about it, he picked up his phone and sent an email. By this point it was nearly 2.30 am, so he didn't expect a reply. Peter was probably fast asleep and dreaming of him...

"Hey, Peter. 

f you're not busy come by the towers this weekend. Peppers away, don't feel like being here alone. 

Email me to let me know.

  * T.S"

He thought about it for a few minutes before sending. He didn't want to play with his feelings, but he needed to know what it would be like. Whether he could see Peter in that light. He owed it to the man to at least try.

_ Ding! _

" Hey, Mr. Stark.

I would love to!!! Saturday or Sunday?  Want me to bring anything? Not that you need anything but it's nice to be nice. 

Peter Parker 🕷"

Tony laughed, Peter added a spider emoji to his emails. _How pure._ Tony thought.

" Peter, 

Up to you. I have a spare room if you want to crash. Just come over when you're ready tomorrow. 

Bring whatever you want. Movies, food, it's up to you. 

  * T.S" 

Tony half-smiled as he took the last sip of his drink before heading off to bed. This was going to be an adventure like no other. And it scared him shitless. 

"Mr. Stark,

Okay!!! Can't wait!!! Thank you so much. 

From Peter. 🕷"

"Me neither." Tony smiled as he put his phone down. "Me neither."


	2. I See You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saturday afternoon with Mr. Stark gets you into some intense situations.

Peter got up early that morning. He was in the best of moods. Finally, alone time with Mr. Stark? This was serious! He could spend time with his crush and what's better is he was asked to. He could look at him and listen to him for hours. He was so glad Pepper wasn't there either. Not that he was going to try anything, but at least he didn't have to watch them kissing and being cute together. That would be awful. Peter packed his bag with clothes, DVDs, and anything else he figured he might need. 

He all but skipped out the door after telling May he would see her Sunday night. "Be good Peter!" She called as he walked out. "Will do!"

\--

Tony sat on the sofa, eyeing the door, waiting for Peter to turn up. He had ten minutes before Peter would arrive, and the anticipation was killing him. Would it be awkward? Would Peter act differently around him? Tony decided he was going to be as normal as possible. The biggest secret was about the phone, Peter couldn't know it was him just yet. Tony was nervous, extremely nervous, why was he this nervous? He had known Peter for years and now everything has changed in just one night. Pepper was away, and Tony had convinced himself he is going to be more open to the other side of his sexuality. He wasn't planning on cheating, that was far from his mind. But he needed to explore what it could be.

Last night after they emailed, 'Ned' got another text. 

P - "Going to Mr. Stark's this weekend. Wish me luck. I am so excited, I'll tell you everything. God, I hope I don't embarrass myself." 

Tony decided to leave it until now, so before Peter walked in, he quickly texted;

N - "Good luck and have fun! Can't wait to hear all about it."

A minute later the doors opened and in walked in Peter. He was wearing tight blue jeans and a white short-sleeved t-shirt, with his hair in a gorgeous mess and his backpack over one shoulder. It was almost like slow motion as he turned around and locked eyes with Tony. 

**1\. That smile he gets when he looks at me. **

Tony noted in his head as he smiled back. "Hey, Pete!" He stood up and greeted him. "Hey, Mr. Stark! Thanks so much for inviting me." Tony panicked for a second, what was he going to do? Hug him? Okay, that's the first thing that came to his head. Tony wrapped his arms around him, for a quick hug but pulled away after he felt Peter's arms rest on him.

"Sleep okay?" Tony asked, walking towards the kitchen. "You want a drink?"

"It was okay thanks, and yeah whatever you're having." Peter dropped his bag on the table.

Tony opened the fridge and pulled out two bottles of water and threw one at Peter.

"Thanks! What do you wanna do? Or do you have anything planned?" Peter questioned.

Tony watched as Peter took a sip of his water. Yeah, okay, the man was handsome. In a goofy, college, Spider-man type way. That smile was endearing. 

"Oh uhm, not really? I was thinking about working on our suits. Then tonight we could watch some movies or something?" 

Tony tried to sound casual and nonchalant. He didn't want to make this out to be a date, it wasn't a date. In Tony's head it was a… well it was a trial date. It was a tester. A freebie before the subscription. Whatever he had to tell himself.

"That sounds great Mr. Stark!" Tony chuckled. "I've stopped calling you Kid, think you could start calling me Tony?" Peter's eyes lit up. "Seriously? I can call you Tony?" He beamed with excitement. "Yes, don't seem so surprised. Let's head down to the lab." Tony smiled as he brushed past him, leading him to the elevator. When they got in the elevator there was a moment of silence before Peter began chattering. "I'm really grateful to be here Tony, it's been boring this summer with Ned gone. He's away in Europe and if you hadn't emailed I'd have spent all weekend waiting for someone to give me something to do." "Don't mention it Pete. Peppers away visiting family somewhere… I can't remember, didn't make sense to sit around and feel sorry for myself. " he smiled as he looked up at Peter.

For a second they were silent, Peter wasn't looking at him, to begin with, but when he looked up he met Tony's eyes. Tony was really taking him in. Memorizing his face. He tried to shake off how he felt. 

_ It's just happiness that we are both alive. That's all it is. Yeah okay, he's cute. Did I just say cute? That's it. That's all it is. _

"Tony? Is there something on my face?"

Tony shook out of it and. "Sorry Peter totally lost in my own mind for a minute." The doors opened and they entered the lab. 

Peter had decided he was going to make more web fluid and Tony was manufacturing a way for him to store it at his place that looked as inconspicuous as possible. Tony watched Peter as he worked out better ways of mixing web fluid and writing out his workings. The man was incredibly intelligent. He's come a long way since they've met. He was no longer the friendly neighborhood spiderman. Two hours flew by like nothing.

  1. ** The way he works, his concentration, his strong jaw…**

Tony shook it off and got back to what he was doing.

"Tony, I'm going to the bathroom. Should we stop for lunch soon?" Tony looked over at him. 

"Yeah sure, wanna bring something down from the kitchen or should we call in?" 

Peter shrugged. "I'll go grab us something, probably be fifteen minutes. We could just eat in here?"

Tony grunted as if to say he agreed, and watched as Peter headed out of the room and to the elevator. Peter had been gone for four minutes, and it seemed like forever. Tony hadn't moved an inch, instead, he analyzed his thoughts. His attention was taken away by his phone lit up.

**P ** \- "I know you're asleep, but I wanted to tell you that it's going amazing. I feel so safe and happy with him. We haven't even talked much but it's been outstanding. I'm gonna surprise him with his favorite lunch. I shouldn't swing whilst texting, but I am so excited he looks so good today." Tony smirked. Peter thought he looked good today? That's so sweet. He just looked normal? Wait, Peter left the building? Surprising him with his favorite food? Pepper didn't even do that! 

He took this time to go over to Peter's station and look through his notebook. The open pages were just his notes and the occasional scribble. He flicked to the first few pages, and yes he was 100% right.

'Mr. Peter Stark.' Surrounded by love hearts. The next page had a sketch of Tony's face, with a spider web design behind it. One page was completely covered in scribbles of Tony.

_ 'Mr. Stark touched me today. I nearly died.' _

_ 'He looked me in the eye nine times. I forgot how to breathe.' _

_ 'Mr and Mr Stark, Mr Peter Stark, Stark and Husband.' _

There were hearts and sketches of people kissing all over the page. "Fuck Peter." He sighed as he opened it back at the original page. 

-

Peter had swung back into the building and had his backpack filled with food. He walked past the pile of things he had taken out and placed on the table and got back into his day clothes. He hoped Tony would appreciate this. He couldn't wait to get back down to the lab and see him. 

A few minutes later he walked into the lab with the food in a basket. 

"Food's here!" Peter called out as he entered the room. Tony was standing up between their stations, it looked as though he was waiting for him to return.

"Did you go out and buy it?" Tony laughed as he followed Peter to where he placed the basket. 

"Uh yeah, I thought I'd get your favorite, that place we went to before? You know the french bakery?"

"Yeah, I remember. Here, let's put this out." Tony pulled out a blanket and spread it out on the ground. "Thanks, Pete, that's really nice of you." 

He smiled at Peter and sat down. Peter's face went red as he grinned.

"Let's have a proper picnic." Tony smiled. Peter gaped for a second and smiled, sitting down and placing the food between them. He began to take everything out. 

Tony picked up a pastry and stretched himself out on the blanket. He propped himself up with his elbow and faces Peter.

"So, you still going out with MJ?" 

Peter nearly coughed out his food. 

"Uhm." He began, wiping his mouth. "No, things didn't work out. I kind of messed it up." 

"What did you do?" 

"I guess I put her second. There was something else I wanted more and she kind of fell by the side." 

"Peter! You cheated on her?"

"No, no!" Peter exclaimed, sitting upon his knees. "No Tony, I'd never do anything like that to anyone. No, I just. It's hard to describe. There's just something else I wanted more and she knew it."

Tony half-smiled and nodded. "I get that Pete." 

"How are things between you and Pepper?" He didn't want to know, but he wanted to be nice. 

Tony could see as soon as Peter asked that his eyes flicked down, he didn't want to talk about it either. 

"Pepper's good. She's never done anything like this for me before though." He chuckled, finishing off his mouthful.

"No? Well. You deserve it." Peter shrugged. He stopped for a second and realized what he just said. _ Fuck did I just say that? I nearly gave myself up! Act cooler Peter. _

Tony gazed up at the man, _ did he just say that? Why does that make me feel nervous? That can't be… no, it's not... it is. Butterflies. _

"Thanks. At least I've got you to look after me!" He laughed, leaning forward to grab an eclair. Tony reached over the blanket to the basket beside Peter.

He heard Peter breathe in, as Tony's hands moved close to him. 

"You okay there?" Tony looked up, they were a lot closer now.

"Uh yeah, yeah I'm good."

Tony pulled back and sat up properly. "Can we talk about something serious?" He asked hopefully.

"Uh sure, what'd you have in mind?"

Tony coughed and looked down. He didn't know how to say this, heart to hearts are not the original Tony Stark way. 

"Well, it's more of a debrief. Last year -" he paused and flicked his eyes up to Peters. Peter knew where this was heading. None of them wanted to speak about this, it was too painful, but that's exactly why they should.

"When I… when I left, for lack of a better word. I can't imagine how you must have felt. It can only be as bad as when I… when I lost you."

"How did you feel when you lost me, Tony?"

Tony breathed in, out, in, out. Fuck. Well.

"My heart shattered Pete. I watched you disappear. The last thing you saw was me, and I have never been able to shake off that terrified look in your eyes, your voice. It keeps me up at night. We lost a lot of people in that war. You were the ghost that stayed with me." 

Peter's eyes were red, he didn't want to cry but he didn't think he could stop himself. Stark's heart hurt again, he could hear it in his head, see it second for second. His hands shook as he clenched his eyes shut. He shouldn't have spoken about this. He's probably all but scared the kid. Peter will probably not like anymore after this, not being the Tony Stark he knew. He felt Peter move to sit beside him and an arm snake around his shoulders. 

"I'm here Tony. I'm still here." "I still hear your voice at night. Telling me you don't want to go. Begging me to help you." His voice was wavering. 

"Stop speaking Mr. Stark, you're going to send yourself into a panic attack. Here, face me and open your eyes." Tony did as he was told and moved to face the younger man. Peter looked him in the eyes and placed his hands on his. He brought Tony's left hand to the side of his face. 

"See? I'm here. I'm real. I am right in front of you." He said in a soothing and calming tone. Tony's breathing started to slow down as he watched the younger man watch him.

  1. ** The way he cares about me. He saw my panic attack and he knew what to do.**

"Listen to me Tony, I know how you are feeling. When I lost you, it felt like I died. I watched the light go out behind your eyes and it… fuck, Tony, it crushed me." He clenched his eyes shut too. 

"I still can't sleep." 

"Hey," Tony said, mirroring Peter and pulling his right hand to his own face. "I'm here too." 

Peter felt his skin and facial hair under his finger. God, it felt so good, they were sitting close enough that they could breathe in each other's scents. 

"We made it. We are here. We did it, Mr. Stark." Peter looked through teary eyes.

Tony was on another plane of existence, he forgot who he was and what he was doing. 

His fingers felt the soft velvet skin of Peter's face. The other man really was made beautifully. 

"You've managed to get through it somehow."

Peter scoffed and received a questionable reaction from Tony. He pulled away from the touch, making Tony regret saying anything. Peter moved back a few inches 

"Tony when you left, I… I don't want to talk about it Tony it hurts just remembering. I have nightmares about. I know you can't do this, and it sounds stupid but can you promise me something?" 

Tony sat quietly for a moment. "Anything."

"Don't do that again. Ever. Don't leave like that. I can't handle it again." 

By this time Peter was picking at his fingers, not daring to look up.

"Pepper asked me the same thing. You know what I told her?" 

Peter touched his eye and wiped away the tears threatening to drop from them.

"I told her I can't promise that. I'm Ironman, an Avenger. I can't just stop." 

Peter nodded and sniffed, before biting his lip. "I understand Tony." 

"But I promise _ you, _Peter. I won't ever do that again."

Peter's head shot up and he looked at Tony, unable to process exactly what he just said. "But you said -" 

"I know what I said Pete. I promise you." 

Peter wiped his eyes and replaced it with a different look. Tony couldn't figure out what it was to start with, but after a few seconds, he got it. That was Peter's love smile. And it was beautiful. 

"Sir, Pepper is calling." F.R.I.D.A.Y informed him. They both looked up. And snapped out of the weird intimate moment they were having.

"Pepper, right!" Tony repeated as he stood up. "Peter, can you clean this up? I'm gonna go get that." 

"Sure." 

Peter paused while Tony picked up the phone.

"Hey Pep - yeah I miss you too." 

He decided to tune him out. This was so weird. Everything was so personal, they were touching! He was inches apart from the man who owns his heart. He could have kissed him! The touch was electrifying, his scent was intoxicating. God, he could live off that moment forever. He began to tidy up as he couldn't help but hear Tony's conversation. 

"I've got Peter over… no just making spidey fluid… yeah… Thursday? Why Thursday?... okay. Yeah. See you then. Yeah, you too. Bye."

Tony hung up the phone and turned to Peter who was standing against a desk looking at his shoes. He looked sad, really sad. 

"Come on you. Movie time." 

Peter looked up, his head still tilted down. He smiled through his hair. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. The Princess Bride and a game of 20 questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They watch movies and eat take-out, the usual date night when you're not even dating. But god they both want it to be a date.   
20 questions trope.

Peter had sat down on the huge comfy sofa, waiting for Tony to come back from the bathroom. He couldn't wait to tell Ned, so he pulled out his phone and texted him.

**P - ** _ Ned! I'm so happy. Movie night with Tony and sleeping over? How crazy is this? This is like a dream come true! I won't text when he is around because I want to soak up every second of him paying me attention. Also, he touched me again and I honestly thought we were going to end up kissing. Eeeep. _

Tony stood in front of the mirror and looked at himself as he fixed his hair. He felt his phone go off in his pocket. Tony smiled as he read it over. 

Something's happening to him, is he, feeling for the boy? Okay, so he has figured out he and Peter have a connection. There's something there, something that needs to be figured out 

He quickly texted Peter back.

**N - ** _ remember he's married, don't do anything too rash. Enjoy your night, let me know what happens! _

Tony put his phone in his pocket and walked through to where Peter was. Peter was sitting on the sofa looking awkward as he waited. He was adorable. Completely adorable.

"Pete, I'm going to get changed into something a little less work, feel free to get changed too." Tony offered walking passed and heading into the other direction.

Peter jumped up to look through his things. "Sounds good Tony, see you in a sec." 

Tony walked through to his bedroom while Peter looked for something to wear. Fuck. He didn't bring anything to sleep in. Perhaps Tony had a top.

"Uhm, Tony?" He called out, walking towards Tony's room. 

There was no answer. So he knocked on his door and opened it, walking in.

"Tony? Do you have a top I can borrow? I've left my stuff at home." He stopped when he saw Tony standing there, pulling off his top. He gaped for a second, taking in the man's gorgeous superhero physique. He had seen it so many times, but never alone in his bedroom. He could feel his face go red and his stomach tie in knots.

"Oh god, I'm sorry!" Peter exclaimed as he tried to tear his eyes away and walk back. He ended up walking right into the door. Tony laughed, 

"Don't worry, and about the top, here." Tony chucked him an oversized t-shirt. "Go put this on." 

Peter caught the top and fled from the scene, totally embarrassed and really amazed by the beauty of the other man's torso.

**P ** \-  _ Ned! He's perfect, he's actually p e r f e c t  _

Peter threw his phone in his bag and got changed. He was now wearing Tony's oversized shirt, with a Stark Industries logo on the front.it smelled like Tony. That was the best part. Along with his boxers, he was ready to watch movies. 

Tony joined him a few moments later and handed Peter a takeout menu. 

"Pick whatever you want, money is no object." 

"Obviously!" Peter laughed, as he took the menu. He sat cross-legged on the sofa as he read it. Tony watched him for a second, he was such a pure soul. 

"F.R.I.D.A.Y set the room to movie mode please."

"Yes, sir," F.R.I.D.A.Y replied. The lights dimmed down and the fire turned on. It was almost romantic. Almost. All that was lacking was some cheesy make out music on the stereo. The huge screen in front of them turned on. 

Tony made sure not to sit too close to Peter but not too far away to make him think he was avoiding him. Tony was wearing jogging trousers and a t-shirt, and he looked damned good.

"What do you want to watch?" He asked the younger man.

"Oh man, anything, I brought some DVDs but I don't know what you like so I brought some classics but also some newer ones." 

"Surprise me."

Peter stood up and grabbed the first one on the pile. "Here we go, The Princess Bride." 

Halfway into the film the Chinese food arrived, they had bought so much food that it looked like a feast fit for Thor. 

"Want a beer?" Tony asked as he walked to the fridge. 

"I'm 18, not 21." Peter laughed as he looked over to him.

"I won't tell if it's just one." He shrugged and pulled out two bottles. 

He handed it to the younger man and sat down.

"I loved this film when it came out. I actually met the director!" Tony said as he picked up a box of noodles.

"Wait, you met Rob Reiner? That's cool, was he nice?" 

"I only saw him for a few minutes but yeah, it was at one of those environmental fundraisers." He explained as he shoved food into his mouth.

"You look like a chipmunk when you eat noodles." Peter laughed at him, using his chopstick to tap Tony's cheek.

"Don't make me laugh it'll end up everywhere," Tony muttered, trying not to laugh in return.

"But you do!" Peter laughed, even more, leaning back as he did so. Peter's laugh was enchanting, nothing was fake, no look, no smile, no word he spoke was designed. Except maybe by God himself.

"Shut up Peter!" Tony smiled as he swallowed. "That would have gone everywhere and it'd be your fault." 

Peter's laughter died down and turned into a grin. "Sorry, but you looked funny!" 

The movie continued to play in the background as they ate. 

"Want to play 20 questions?" Peter suggested.

"The game where you both have to ask each other questions?" Tony's eyebrow raised itself. 

"Yeah, like a get to know you kind of thing, it's what people do on sleepovers." 

Tony looked over at the screen and reached to pick his beer from the table in front of him. He took a swig of his drink and turned to face Peter. 

"Okay, go. Ask me anything." 

Peter's lips turned into the biggest grin as he turned around and leaned against the side of the sofa to face Tony.  "What is your favorite memory?"

"Honestly? Getting you back after the snap."

"Really??" Peter beamed. "That's so nice, I'm honored. Your turn." 

"Uhhhh, I don't know what to ask. Favorite colors?"

"Red, Gold, Black. What's your favorite song?"

Tony thought for a second. "Don't fear the reaper, who's your favorite Avenger?"

"You. Yours?"

"Me as well." Tony laughed cheekily as he winked at him. "What was the thing that was more important than MJ?"

Peter's face dropped. "Pass."

"No, there's no passing in 20 questions, you have to answer it!" Tony grinned. 

Peter breathed in hesitantly. "I'll tell you the outline of it. Not the details. Basically, I was in love with someone who wasn't her. The other person wasn't interested, I couldn't keep living a lie like that." 

"Another girl at school?" 

"Another guy." Peter looked down at his feet and then back to Tony. "That was two questions so I get to ask you two."

"Fair enough, hit me." Tony took another sip of his beer.

"Is Pepper the love of your life?" 

Tony clenched his eyes shut for a moment. He really should have seen this coming.

"So far, yes."

"So far? Yes, I'm aware that's my second question."

"Up to now, she is the love of my life. I don't know if things will change or not. It really depends. I'm kinda hard to love." 

Peter scoffed again and took a sip of his beer. Obviously he didn't agree with Tony's last statement. 

  1. ** He loves me.**

"Your turn Tony."

"Fuck what do I ask?"

"Anything you want to know!"

Tony shook his head. "This is a bad idea kid."

Peter furrowed his eyebrows, "Come on, I won't be offended. And I'm not a kid, remember?"

"Are you a virgin?"

Peter nearly choked on his beer. "I mean, yeah. I tried once, but honestly, women don't seem to be my thing. Men, my age aren't really out so, no I'm still a virgin."  Tony nodded as he listened to him speak. 

"Tony, do you think you're going to spend forever with Pepper?"

Tony turned back around and faced the TV, he looked over to Peter and replied before taking another swig of his beer.  "I don't know Pete." And he really didn't. 

Two movies in, and Peter was starting to get really tired, in his drowsiness he began to lean against Stark's shoulder. Falling asleep Slowly, Tony moved his arm and placed it around him, placing his hand on his waist. Tony was falling asleep too, he slid his phone put his pocket and programmed F.R.I.D.A.Y to turn off the tv. And he just sat there enjoying the moment.

_ Tony, what are you doing? The boy is in love with you. You're married and you've got your arms around another man. A man who treated you better than any woman has. He's sweet and attractive and he gets you. _

Tony had this sudden urge to kiss the man. No, it can't work like this, you can't be in your 40s before you realize you like men!

_ Weirder things have happened. Remember Thanos? It was fucked up. That talking raccoon thing. Your whole existence is based on extraordinary.  _

Okay so maybe he liked Peter. It didn't mean he was gay. Of course, it didn't. He still liked women and the odd man. And Peter. And Peter. Fuck. He actually liked Peter. 

Tony waited a few more minutes with Peter snuggled up at his side. It was bliss. The boy with insomnia was sleeping sweetly in his arms.  "Pete?" Tony shook him a little. "Peter?" Peter lifted his head, with tired eyes and a messy hairdo. 

"Tony?" 

"Bedtime. Up you get." He said, trying to get them both to sit up. 

"Mmkay Tony. " Peter mumbled, as he rubbed his eye. He slowly got up and started to walk towards the guest room. There was nothing more beautiful than the sight of Peter right now.

Tony watched as sleeping beauty made it inside and dropped on the bed. He chuckled.  _ What a cutie. _

\--

Later that night, Tony was awoken by a loud cry.

"Tony! No, Mr. Stark, I'll do it, don't go! DON'T GO!" Peter was crying out, sobs in his voice. 

Tony jumped out of bed, wearing only his pajama pants and rushed into the guest room.

"Peter??" He found Peter on the bed, sweat on his forehead, tears coming out of his eyes. Peter was in pain, and it killed Tony to see. He looked like he was fighting, straining himself in the most uncomfortable sleep.

"MR. STARK DON'T, it's not worth it don't die, don't die Mr. Stark let me go instead I don't want you to go!" 

Tony quickly climbed onto the bed and sat beside him, touching his shoulders and pulling him closer.

"Peter? Peter, it's okay, I'm not going anywhere." He cradled the man from behind. 

His arms wrapped around Peter and pulled him close against his chest. "Peter wake up now, come on Peter it's okay."  After a shake or two, Peter woke up, still sobbing his heart out. He looked up and saw Tony's eyes looking back at his.

"Tony? Tony don't leave, don't go again." He whimpered as he gazed into Stark's eyes. 

"I'm not leaving you." Tony kissed the top of Peter's head. "Just sleep in my arms angel, it's gonna be okay. I'm here. I'm not leaving." 

Tony held Peter close to his chest and pulled the cover over them. 

"I'm not leaving." 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Dance for me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A set of events really mess with Tony's emotions. What is this he is feeling?

Tony didn't move after Peter fell asleep in his arms. He was lying on the bed with his arms wrapped around the younger man. Peter's head was resting on his chest, and together they slept through the night.  In the morning, Peter was the first to wake up. He lifted his head and looked over Tony. That was the best night's sleep he's had in ages. Well, apart from the nightmare, but at least Tony was there. Wait...

Woah. Tony stayed. He actually slept in the same bed, with his arms around him. Tony smelled beautiful. Peter put his head back down for a minute and breathed in the moment. This was the best moment of Peter's entire life. He turned his head and touched Tony's skin with his lips gently. Ned was NOT going to believe this.

He felt Tony stir and he looked up. "Tony?" He whispered, sitting up slightly. 

"Hey. Sleep okay?" Tony asked, wiping his eyes.

"You stayed? You stayed with me?" Peter looked so in love with him.

_ That's not a bad face to wake up to.  _ Tony thought to himself as he smiled back at the younger man.  "I told you I would." He sat up on the edge of the bed and tried to wake himself up. 

He looked back to Peter, sitting on the bed wearing his top.

"That top suits you Pete. Keep it if you want. I'm gonna go grab a shower, feel free to use it after me."

Peter grinned and watched as Tony left the room. He lay there in the spot Tony slept in and felt the warmth from his body on the duvet. 

Once he heard the shower turn on, Peter grabbed his phone.

**P** \- Ned, I am so in love with him. I go home tomorrow night, I don't want to ever leave. He's perfect. 

Ned didn't text back for ten minutes.

_ **N** \- No one's perfect. He probably has flaws you don't see because you're so infatuated.  _

**P** \- I know he has flaws, I know what they are, but he's perfect for me. 

When Peter jumped in the shower he couldn't help but feel turned on by the thought that just ten minutes ago, Tony was standing in the same place, naked, dripping with warm water. It took everything he had not to touch himself to the thought. But he would feel too guilty when he saw Tony again. After they were both washed and dressed, Peter walked through to the kitchen to see Tony sitting there waiting for him. Tony was wearing a suit, a very well fitted suit. Peter felt underdressed, he was wearing tight black jeans and a t-shirt 

"Hey," Tony smiled as he saw him.

"You ready?" He stood up and grabbed his keys from the table and walked towards the door.

"Wait where are we going?" Peter asked, following him out the room.

"Out." Tony turned around and smiled as he walked to the elevator. Peter's heart nearly exploded. This was like a date! A real, two people, going out together date. 

Before he knew it Peter was in the passenger seat of Tony's car. Rock music was playing softly in the background. 

"You know you look really cool in those shades?" Peter laughed as he turned to look at Tony.

"You like?" Tony raised his eyebrows.

Peter blushed. "Yeah, you look badass."  Tony took them off and handed them to Peter.

"Here. They're yours now." He grinned. Peter's eyes lit up as he took the sunglasses and put them on. 

"Thank you so much! Do I look good?" He posed for Tony.

"You look badass." He laughed. "So tonight we're heading to this jazz club. It's 18 and over so you just make the cut, but you can't drink. Until then, it's up to you what we do."

Peter had no idea what he wanted to do, he just wanted to spend time with Tony. As long as they were together, who cares?

"I don't mind," he shrugged.

"You need anything for college? Clothes? Whatever?"

"You wanna take me shopping for clothes? I don't have a lot of money -"

"My treat. Come on, we'll go to the mall or whatever you young people do. But you'll have to give me those shades and grab the hat from the back so people don't stop me every two seconds." 

"Really?" Peter was buzzing with excitement. "Sounds perfect." 

Tony pulled into the parking lot and put the glasses and hat on. "Come on then Pete." He smiled as he exited the car. 

They walked into the mall and Tony begrudgingly followed Peter into some young person clothes shop. Peter should have seen this coming, of course, the moment he left Tony's side, he ran into Flash.

"Sup penis parker!" He called out from a few meters away and walked over to him.

Tony looked over from the other side of the shop to see where Peter was and saw him talking to someone. For a moment he was slightly jealous because Peter was with him and talking to someone else. But then he realized that was stupid and shook it off.

"What do you want Flash?" Peter questioned flatly.

"Shopping by yourself like a loner? Fucking freak." Flash mocked him.

"Leave me alone Flash, it's summer, you don't have to be a jackass all the time."

Flash looked stunned that Peter had the audacity to talk back to him. 

"What did you just call me queerdo?" He stepped closer to Peter.  Tony noticed this and wasn't having someone treating Peter like that, not on his watch. 

"I called you a jackass. Jackass." Peter pushed him further. 

Flash gritted his teeth and stepped one step closer. "Are you wanting a punch to the face?"

"Are you?" A third voice spoke. Flash looked up to see Tony Stark standing beside him, glaring at him like he was about to kill him.

"Mr…. Mr. Stark… oh my god, it's Iron Man." Flash gasped as his eyes widened.

"Leave Peter alone, or Iron Man will make you wish you did." He told him firmly.  Flash looked at Peter and then back to Tony. He backed away and retreated back to his group of friends.

"You alright Pete?" 

"Yeah. I don't really need you to protect me, but I'm glad you did." He glanced at the older man, his eyes twinkled as he gave Tony a thankful smile.

"I know Pete. I guess I'm just a little protective of the people I care about. Come on, let's buy this shit and get going."  He nudged Peter and walked towards the cashier. Peter glowed as he followed after him. He knew Tony cared about him, but to actually hear him say it was magical.

After an eventful few hours of shopping, Tony and Peter were on their way to the club.

"So what kind of club is this?" Peter asked, taking the shades back from Tony and put them in his bag.

"Jazz music, cocktails etcetera." 

"Are we even dressed up enough?" 

"I am, here, I bought you a shirt. Check the bags." Tony reached back and grabbed one of the bags. "There's a tie and jacket in there too." 

Peter looked through the back and pulled them out, chucking the bag back in the back of the car, he began to dress up.  As Tony drove, he could see out of the corner of his eye that Peter was pulling off his T-shirt. The man was sitting beside him, topless. He couldn't take his eyes away. T ony forgot to look at the road and had to make an emergency stop. Red light.

Peter fell forward. "You okay?"

Tony looked at him and looked back to the road.  "Uh, yeah, sorry." He sighed as Peter shrugged and kept getting changed. Tony turned his head again and let himself gaze upon the younger man's firm muscles. The boy looked great.

Ten minutes later they arrived at the club.

The club was extremely fancy! Everyone in it was dressed up in suits and dresses, looking very glamorous. The room Tony led him to had a stage at the front and a jazz band playing for the audience. 

"Here," Tony pulled out a chair for Peter to sit down and pushed him close to the table. "I'll get us a drink." As Tony walked away, Peter looked around the place. Everyone was a lot older than him, some were smoking cigars, and everyone had some sort of cocktail.

"Excuse me?" Someone asked him. A man in a white suit, a waiter perhaps?

"Are you a dancer? You look like you could be a dancer." He asked Peter.

"I can dance, why?" Hoping to god this was not some terrible pick-up line.

"The boy who was supposed to be doing the next set broke his leg, we need someone to go up - what kind of dancing do you do?"

"Uh… ballet? Tap dancing, modern. Just all of it?" 

"Good. Okay, you're going on next, come on, you'll need a costume." He grabbed Peter's arm and pulled him behind the stage. Tony hadn't even noticed he had disappeared, he was still getting the drinks.

When he got back to the table he looked around the room for Peter. _Where the fuck is he? Did he ditch me? He wouldn't do that. Would he? No, he loves me, he wouldn't just leave… maybe he is in the bathroom or something. _Tony sat down and listened to the last song fade out. The man who has spoken to Peter came on stage and spoke into the microphone.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, today's dancer was replaced due to a fracture, so please sit back and enjoy the magic that is Peter Parker."  Tony spat out his drink in shock.  _ What?? Peter was gonna… dance? _

The musicians began to play a jazz rendition of Singing in the Rain. The anticipation in Tony's heart was driving him wild. Could the boy actually dance?

Moments later Peter appeared on stage, in long brown shorts and his shirt buttoned up halfway up. His props were a top hat and an umbrella.  Before his eyes, Peter was moving around the stage as if he had been dancing for years. His movements were so graceful and precise. Every turn was pure poetry, each step told another story. Tony watched Peter's face as he danced freely, the music moved through him, casting a spell on Tony. 

Peter looked purely happy, he looked up and met Tony's eyes. Dancing for him. He grinned at Tony, moving closer to Tony's side of the stage. Between them, they knew he was dancing for Tony. His eyes locked on the older man's as he danced around the stage, winking before he spun around. Tony almost died. _He's beautiful. He's gorgeous. He's putting on a dance just for me. Oh god. I'm starting to crush on him. This isn't good. _

As Peter finished the dance with a pirouette, the audience applauded him. Tony stood up and clapped, showing Peter how much he truly loved it.  Peter looked over and saw the admiration in Tony's eyes. He could have died right there on the spot.  When Peter came back from behind the stage, Tony pulled him in for a hug.

"That was beautiful! Well done!" 

Peter smiled into the hug. Everything was perfect. 

\--

A short time later, Peter and Tony were in the car, outside Peter's home. They didn't say anything, but Peter didn't want to leave. If Tony was honest, he didn't want Peter to go either.

"Thanks so much for having me over Tony. I had the best weekend." 

"Me too Pete." 

Peter fumbled with his keys. "Pepper home tonight?" 

Stark sighed and shook his head. "Nah, Thursday apparently. I don't know. You busy during the week?" 

Peter leaned back on the headrest and turned to smile at Tony.  "I am. Call me if you need someone to kill time with." Peter grinned, he felt like he could fly. "I'm going to call Ned tonight, see how he is." 

Tony panicked for a second. He wasn't ready for this to be out in the open just yet, he needed more time, he had to figure this out.  "You're going to call him on his holiday? Surely he'll be away partying or something?"

"True. Perhaps I'll just text him, see ya, Tony." He opened the door and picked up his bag.

"I had the best time hanging out with you."

"Me too." He smiled back as Peter walked into the building, looking back to wave.

Tony had a lot of things to think about tonight, he'd be lucky if he gets much sleep.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Tony's realisation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony sits and thinks about how he feels about Peter and comes to a realisation.

Tony lay down in his bed, covering himself with the duvet. Now he was alone, he really had the time to examine his feelings.

_ The pro's and con's of Pepper and Peter. _

_ **Pepper**,  _

_ Pros \- she loves me. She's strong, beautiful, independent and she trusts me. _

_ Cons \- she doesn't look at me the way Peter does. She doesn't surprise me with my favourite food. She doesn't know how to handle me at my worst. Her touch isn't as soft as Peter's.  _

_ **Peter**, _

_ Cons \- he's young. He's a virgin. He might change his mind, he might see the worst of Tony and leave. _

_ Pros \- he loves me. He has a beautiful soul, he's proved how strong and supportive he is. He loves me. He trusts me. He looks at me, like I'm the only person in the world. He goes out of his way to make things good for me. He admires me. He dreams about me. This love has lasted for a long time. _

_ He knows my favourite food, every touch is magical. He can handle my panic attacks and wants to be there for me. He hasn't left yet. _

_ He can dance, he can fight, his mind works like mine. He can create and use technology. Peter smiles sweetly at me when I say anything. He laughs at my jokes. He knows I'm not perfect. He thinks I'm perfect for him.  _

_ He loves me. _

Tony was taken out of his mental list as his phone lit up. He unlocked it and read the text. Peter.

**P -** Ned please tell me you're free. We need to discuss Tony!

** _N - _ ** _ I'm free. Tell me everything _ !

**P** \- So! He invited me over and we worked in the lab. He told me how he felt about when I left, and honestly, it broke my heart. But he was able to be vulnerable around me! Then we had this perfect moment which was ruined by his wife's phone call. 

We watched movies and got to know each other and I fell asleep in his arms. I woke up in them too!

THEN we went out and he scared the shit out of Flash who threatened me (my priiiince) and then he took me to this club. Don't worry I didn't drink! I danced for him and you should have seen his face! Those dance classes we took six years ago really paid off! Ugh Ned it was perfect.'

Tony took his time reading through it. Peter obviously didn't want Ned to know about his nightmare, or about the specifics of the conversation. He blushed when Peter called him his prince. Usually he was referred to as "hero", but he liked prince better.

** _N - _ ** _ Wow Peter! That's insane. What was your favourite part? _

**P** \- the way he looked at me. And the fact I woke up to his face. 

** _N_ ** _ \- Did anything happen to make you like him less?? _

**P -** Nope. Even when he was vulnerable (not telling details bc that's between us) it just made me love him more. I felt our connection deapen.

Tony turned on his side and remembered that moment. He had hoped they would kiss too. And the respect the boy had for him, was insane.

** _N-_ ** _ That's really love then. Do you think you'll ever tell him how you feel? _

**P- ** Hadn't planned on it. God I really want to kiss him. I had to stop myself from lunging forward everytime we looked at each other. I miss him.

** _N -_ ** _ Maybe he misses you too.  _

**P- ** He probably isn't even thinking about me.

Tony laughed out loud, oh how wrong Peter was. He was most definitely thinking about him now.

**P** \- He's probably thinking about his wife. I bet he only spent time with me because he missed her.

Tony stared at his phone, that hurt him a little.  He really wanted to tell Peter that he did miss him. That he wanted to kiss him too. Had he not been married, he would have lunged forward and kissed him.

** _N_ ** _ \- I doubt that. Stark has a million fancy high class friends. He has superhero friends. But he chose you. You've got to be pretty special for that. _

**P** \- That made me so happy! You're right, ugh do you really think he chose me over everyone else?? He cares about me 😊

** _N _ ** _ \- I'm trying to send holiday photos to you but it's not working. Can you send me a photo of you or something to see if I can receive them? _

Tony knew that was a stupid move, a dick move. He shouldn't be carrying on with this masquerade, but he really wasn't ready for this. He couldn't tell him yet, the kid would be so embarrassed. 

**P - ** *image loading*

The photo opened, and it was a selfie of him in bed. His hair was a mess and he was wearing a loose grey shirt. Peter wore the most beautiful smile, and his eyes sparkled.

Perfect.

Tony really missed his voice. He got out of his own bed and moved to the guest room, where he cuddled into the pillows that smelled like Peter.

** _N - _ ** Definitely just my phone then.

**P** \- Should I text him? 

Tony freaked out, if he texted him he'd actually be texting Ned, and Ned would blow everything!

** _N -_ ** _ Don't make yourself sound desperate. Wait a day and then email him. That's how he contacted you first right? _

**P - ** Good plan. I just miss him. Is it sad I'm cuddling his shirt? It smells like him.

** _N -_ ** _ Not at all. That's really sweet actually. _

**P - ** Did I tell you he bought me things? I may have left some things at his so he would have an excuse to contact me soon…

Tony laughed, shaking his head. That boy was gonna be the death of him. 

** _N - _ ** _ Sneaky!  _

The two continued to talk for the next hour, Tony made up random generic holiday stories to tell him as if he was Ned. And eventually Peter drifted off to sleep. 

Tony stayed up a little longer and stared at the photo of Peter. He stared for a while, and closed his eyes. Imagining if Peter was there beside him.

He would look lovingly into Peter's eyes and press their lips together. Peter's lips would be soft and perfect. The kiss would start slow, and they would move together on the bed so Tony was on top. The kisses would become faster as Tony bites Peter's bottom lip. 

Peter would moan. God he wondered what Peter's moan would be like. Tony's hands would feel down his body and meet the hem of the younger man's trousers…

Tony opened his eyes, realising he was touching himself with one hand and holding a picture of Peter with the other. 

He didn't know whether to delete the photo and take a cold shower, or finish himself off and feel guilty. He knew what he should do. He knew what the right thing to do was. But what's a little guilt?

The next morning, Tony awoke from a wonderful night's sleep. He opened his phone and looked through his messages.

07.28 text from Pepper saying she was staying even longer with her family. 

08.00 notification from FRIDAY telling him the morning news.

09.37 email from Banner with updates on his new adventure.

Tony sighed. He had really hoped to wake up to a text or email from Peter. 

Continuously through the day he checked his phone, imagining it going off and slowly reacting to try to trick himself into thinking he didn't care. 

But he did. 

Not a single thing from Peter.

* * *

Tony watched out the window, missing Peter terribly.


	6. Dancing in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony tries to be romantic and has an offer Peter can't refuse.

It had been a day and a half and they still hadn't heard from each other. Peter didn't want to sound desperate and neither did Tony.  It was getting dark on Tuesday night and Tony was going insane with missing Peter, so he got out his phone and emailed him.

"Peter,

Are you busy? 

-TS"   
  


Tony wasn't even surprised by the fast reply he received. 

"Hey, Tony!

No, I'm just sitting here reading. What's up?

From Peter 🕷"

"Peter,

You know that building you go to a lot? Meet me there at 8?

\- TS 🤖"

  
  


"Hey Tony,

I'll be there. I love how you chose a robot as your Iron Man emoji. 

  * Peter 🕷"

Tony put down his phone and went to grab himself a drink. Tonight he was going to really be himself, no pretense. Well, a little pretense. He wasn't going to completely open about the texting situation. That would have to wait.  It was 7.30 when Tony began to properly get ready, he decided he was going to go in his Iron Man suit. He had the perfect non-date date planned. He really hoped that Peter appreciated this. 

Okay, so Peter got there early. It was 7.45 when he arrived, sitting on the edge, watching the skies darken. It was much later in the year, so by this time the stars were out earlier and earlier. Before he knew it he heard the familiar sound of Tony's suit behind him. Tony took down his mask.

"Hey, Pete!" Tony was obviously delighted to see him! Peter took a mental picture of that moment.

"Hey!" 

"So there's this place in the hills, about an hour away, a little hut filled with food. Kind of like my own private getaway. Wanna go?"

Peter gaped at this invitation. "More than anything! How are we gonna get there." 

Tony smirked, holding out his hand for Peter to hold onto.  "Would you like to fly with me?" His eyes glistened as he asked that question. 

Peter saw him as a knight in shining armor, a beautiful god. 

"God yes." Peter left any idea of keeping things friendly behind and took the older man's hand. Tony pulled him close and put Peter's arms around his neck. He wrapped his arm around Peter's waist and activated the helmet again.  They took off into the air, and Peter honestly felt like things couldn't get any better for him. Although the suit felt nice against him he wished he was pressed up against Tony's body on its own. 

He never felt so safe. Although Tony was watching where he was going, he looked down to see Peter's innocent and amazed face as he watched over the buildings and up to the stars. 

Soon enough they made it to the small hut on top of a hill. They landed on the grass and Tony came out of his suit. 

"That… was… amazing!!" Peter beamed, wrapping his arms around Tony in a hug. Tony held him back and breathed in, taking in the younger man's aroma.  Awkwardly they pulled apart from each other and laughed. 

"So, you'd do that again?" 

"Only if you promise to swing with me one day! You'll love it." 

Tony put a hand on Peters back and walked him towards the door of the hut. "Sure thing, It's always looked fun." He smiled. Tony opened the door and let Peter walk in first. Inside was quite basic which surprised Peter a lot. He expected some high tech hideout. There was a four-poster bed, a sofa, a fridge, and some storage. That was it.

"Tony, what exactly are we doing here?" He laughed as he looked around. "I know it's not much. But, I was here earlier. I filled up the fridge with another picnic. I was thinking we could bring the blankets outside and eat under the stars." Tony couldn't believe how ridiculously cheesy and romantic he sounded. He watched as the other man turn around and look at him with hope in his eyes. 

"Sounds perfect."

Soon enough the two of them were lying side by side on a blanket outside. Staring up at the clear and starry skies above them. All they could hear was each other breathing. They were close enough to touch.  Tony let his hand fall down beside him, gazing Peter's hand as he rested it on the ground. He felt Peter's head shift to look at him and back up to the sky. 

Slowly, Tony felt Peter middle finger entwine itself in Tony's. That was a bold move. A risky move. 

_ Don't let things go over the line, Tony. You're married. There's a ring on your finger. _

"It's crazy to think we've been up there," Tony said quietly.

"Don't remind me. I mean it was cool, but honestly probably the worst experience of my life."

"How so?"

"Because it all lead up to us losing each other. And that is something I don't need to be reminded of." 

Tony rubbed his face and sat up, removing his hand from Peters. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad. I just thought you would like this." He admitted, looking over the horizon.

Peter sat up too. "No no, Tony I love it. I love the stars. I love being here with you, don't take it badly. I just don't like thinking about when we were up there."

Tony gazed into Peter's eyes and softly smiled.  He breathed in hastily before he asked his next question.

"Peter, there's… There's a wedding I have to go to in a few days, and Pepper won't be home in time. Do you, I mean, would you like to come with me?" He looked up hopefully at him.

"There's nothing I would like more! But, I have no idea how to dance!" He laughed in reply. He watched as the older man stood up and reached out his hand. "I can show you." 

Peter couldn't look away as he stood up opposite him. Tony's hand found its way around the younger man's back and pulled him in close, holding Peter's other hand in his. He could feel that Peter was holding his breath, 

"Relax," Stark whispered in his ear, sending a shiver down Parker's back. Slowly, he began to lead him in a dance. Under the stars, where the whole world was theirs, for this moment and this moment only. Peter closed his eyes, his cheek resting against Tony's as they moved together. 

Peter wanted to kiss him. Peter _should_ have kissed him. But as he went to entwine his fingers with the other man's, a gold band on his finger stopped him. This wasn't fair on Pepper. Peter wasn't the kind of guy to break someone's heart. 

Begrudgingly, he pulled away, trying to ignore the questioning look of hurt in Tony's eyes as their contact was lost. 

"Thanks, Tony… I think you should take me home now. It's really late… and uhm, Aunt May will be getting worried." He couldn't keep his eyes focused on one thing as he said this. He didn't want to disappoint Tony, and god if anyone wanted this to happen it was him. 

_ Even the writer needed this to happen! _

But it wasn't the right time, hopefully soon. But he had to get away, he had to think.

Tony nodded silently and knelt down to pick the blanket and food from the floor to return to the hut. Peter would have helped, but he was frozen to the spot.  This was too much for him to process. Did Tony want him too?  _ He danced with me under the stars, he wants me to go to a wedding with him! And I'm shutting it down??  _ _ Damn my stupid moral compass! _

Tony returned to his side and activated his suit. 

"Are you still coming to the wedding with me Pete?"

Peter smiled and wrapped his arms around Tony's neck once again. 

"You bet I am." He grinned as they took off into the sky.

-

Thankfully the wedding was only a few days away, and Ned was due back the next day. All he had to do was get through this, and hopefully, his best friend would know what to do.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry for the slow burn, but I am uploading quickly so it doesn't feel as painful to you all! I have it all planned out from here, you won't be waiting too much longer.


	7. You Look Perfect

Peter didn't sleep again that night. Instead, he went over every single detail of what had just happened. He just couldn't process this! He cuddled up into Tony's t-shirt and closed his eyes, remembering each and every moment.

Tony flew him to a secret hideaway and lay on the hill watching the stars with him. They nearly held hands! They even danced beneath the stars and held each other so close. Everything was so romantic, so perfect. 

Tony HAD to be into him. That would make sense as to why he was being so caring, so attentive and adorable, not to mention touchy. 

Oh Stark's touch was like magic. Electricity waved through Peter's body just by thinking about it. 

And now what? He's going to be Tony's date? And Tony is married to Pepper?? This was so complicated. This was the strangest love affair ever. He didn't even know how Tony felt.

Peter worried he was adding it all up wrong in his head. Tony couldn't be into  _ him _ . 

_ I'm nothing. I'm not as good as Pepper. There's no way he likes me! I must be reading everything wrong, this is ridiculous. I should have just told him how I feel. What's the worst that can happen now? _

Okay! Okay, the wedding is in two days. He'll go, he will look outstanding, he will dance the night away as if it was a date. He will tell Tony at the end how he feels and by then it's all going to be in Tony's hands. There. That's the plan.

\--

Tony on the other hand, was back in the guestroom, staring at a photo of Peter. He was propped up by pillows, wallowing in self-pity. He sighed, rubbing his eyes and turning down the light on his phone.

What had he done wrong? He was romantic, he was open, he was touchy, he tried his best to be everything he thought Peter wanted. And he still pulled away!

_ I was so close, so close to finally coming clean, so close to kissing him. I want him so much, I miss his smile and his touch. God, what a mess. _

Tony had a plan too, his plan was to treat Peter the best he has ever been treated. Tony was going to be a proper Prince. And he was going to call Pepper when he got back.  They had to talk about this. First, he needs to know if this is something Peter wants to pursue, and given what Peter replies, he's going to leave Pepper.

What a ridiculous situation.

**The day of the wedding date.**

Tony emailed Peter to say he would pick him up at midday. May would be out at work, so Tony was going to meet him at the door.  He made sure he was in his best suit, and he wore cologne, the one that Peter picked out just for him. He also made sure that he didn't turn up empty-handed.

This was going to be a great day.  Five minutes to twelve there was a knock on Peter's door. 

"Fuck, who could that be?" Peter huffed as he pulled his suit jacket off the hanger and made his way to open the door. As he opened it, his breath was taken from him. There stood Mr. Stark, dressed up incredibly handsome, holding flowers in his hand. He looked nervous, yet extremely happy.

"Wow!" Tony grinned, looking Peter up and down. "You look amazing." He stepped forward and kissed Peter's cheek. 

"I… uh… uhm…" Peter was completely stuck for words, his face turned red and his fingers touched where Tony's lips just kissed him. Tony walked in and Peter closed the door 

"Thank… thank you, Tony. You look gorgeous too." Peter knew he was blushing so hard it was obvious, anyone could tell. 

"I bought you these." Tony offered, handing over a bouquet of red roses. "One of your favorite colors." 

"You remembered!" Peter beamed, taking them from the older man and walking to the kitchen to find a vase. He just kept on blushing as he filled the vase with water.

"Thank you so much," Peter exclaimed as he put the flowers in the vase. 

"You ready?" Tony asked, holding out his arm for Peter to take. Peter had literally no clue what was happening. He was COMPLETELY thrown. He took Tony's arm and walked with him to the car.  Tony opened the door for him to get in, and Peter nearly kissed him right there.

_ What the fuck is happening? Am I dreaming? Am I asleep right now? Please don't let me wake up. _

Tony got in beside him and turned the ignition.

"Want to pick a song for us to listen to?" He winked at the younger man as he handed him his phone. Peter flicked through the songs and settled on 'Don't fear the reaper'. When the song started up, Tony felt a strong feeling his heart. The boy listened to him, and he felt so loved. 

They arrived at the ceremony just on time, and Tony kept up the first date rules. He opened the door for Peter to get out and he wrapped their arms together as they walked to the crowd.

"Ahh Mr. Stark!" A man called out walking over to them. He wore a dark suit and a bow tie. He shook Tony's free hand and smiled.

"I'm glad you came - and this must be…?"

"This is Peter, Peter this is Emmett Graves, he's an old friend and a lawyer. Emmett, this is Peter Parker. My date."  Emmett shook Peter's hand, noticing the way he did a double-take looking at Tony. "Nice to meet you, Peter." 

"You too Emmett." He smiled, pulling his hand away and touching Tony's arm. Holding onto his strong arms.  Tony waved goodbye to the man and pulled Peter away and they walked inside the church to take a seat.

"This place is huge! How do you know the happy couple?" Peter questioned as Tony led them to a pew.

"Oh, he's an investor in Stark Industries. I'm not best friends with them, I wasn't going to come but then I thought you and I could make a day of it." He whispered back, leaning into him.

Peter felt Tony's whisper all the way down his spine, sending goosebumps all over his body.  The ceremony itself was a normal wedding, nothing spectacular. The woman wore white, big surprise, and every person over the age of 60 had a packet of hankies and had no problem using them and sharing them on. 

Halfway through the ceremony, as the man spoke his vows about loving her to the stars and back, Tony's hand rested on his. Peter turned his hand, slowly, locking his fingers together with Starks. A fire lit inside of him, at that moment he felt like they were under the stars again. 

Peter's thumb rubbed against the side of Tony's hand as they both looked on at the wedding.  By the end, everyone was clapping and throwing confetti, everyone but them. They didn't want to pull away from each other, the feeling was overwhelming. 

"When we get to the reception, can I reserve the first dance?" The older man put forward hopefully.

Peter positioned himself closer to him. "Only if I can reserve all the rest of your dance card." 

_ Okay, I am just going to flirt shamelessly. This is what's happening now. Turns out I am that person, just for today.  _

Tony wrapped his arm around Peter's waist. "I'd be heartbroken if you didn't. "

**The Reception **

The hall was enormous and filled with hundreds of classy people, drinking, laughing and eating.  Our love birds had to speak to everyone who recognized Tony, and every single one of them was told Peter was his date. 

Peter felt like the luckiest man in the world. The way the ladies looked at him, pure jealousy, as they lusted after Tony. Peter would see this and touch Tony a little more, almost as if he was marking his territory. 

** _ [Authors note: Play 'Perfect' by Ed Sheeran.] _ **

They took a rest at the bar as the bride and groom did their speeches. Before they knew it the music was playing the couple's first dance song. And halfway through they asked the other happy couples in the crowd to dance.

Tony put down his drink and stared into Peter's eyes as he stood up and held out his hand for Peter to take. 

The younger man's face lit up and softly smiled as he placed his hand in Tony's and walked to the dancefloor. Their eyes were locked on each other as Tony pulled him close, impossibly close. Peter's breath hitched as Tony led them into a waltz around the room. 

Their noses were an inch apart as they spun together, everyone watched them in awe. Peter's lips curled up in the most delightful smile.  Tony looked down to Peter's lips and back to his eyes. "You look perfect." He whispered.

Peter couldn't believe how in love he was at this moment. Nothing would make him more content than to live in this moment forever.  After the song finished, everyone clapped while Tony and Peter stood in each other's arms. They just looked at each other for a few moments before they were interrupted by the groom.

"Hey Tony, would your date mind if I steal you away for a while? I have an idea I want to tell you about."

Tony grimaced but forced a polite expression.

"It's your wedding day, and I have a hot date in my arms. You want to run away and talk shop?"

The groom laughed and patted Tony's shoulder. "I won't keep you for long."

Stark looked at Peter who gave him an encouraging expression "Go on, I'll be waiting for you to return."

Tony kissed Peter's cheek, squeezed his hands and pulled away from him.  He followed the groom out of the room, turning back to wink at Peter on his way out. 

"How long have you been together?" A woman sitting in a golden dress at the bar asked Peter. She had a martini in her hand.

Peter laughed awkwardly, like a kid who's just had his first kiss. 

"Not long." He perched on the stool beside her.

"Well if you ask me, you two are cuter than the newlyweds. More people are jealous of you than they are of the bride." She grinned. 

The woman leaned over the bar and ordered two cocktails.

"I've never seen Tony Stark so happy. He's always had a kind of arrogant persona on." 

That was the nicest compliment he could have received, Tony had obviously known this woman for a while, and she must have known all about Pepper. So if she says he's never looked happier, he couldn't help but think it was because of him.

The groom had kept Tony away for about 45 minutes, and upon his return, the atmosphere in the room changed. Modern pop music was playing loudly and everyone was up dancing.

He scanned the room for Peter and finally found him surrounded by a group of people who were laughing at his every word. He noticed that the boy had loosened his tie and taken a few buttons out from the top of his shirt.  He looked genuinely happy, with a goody smile on his face and a glass in his hand. 

_ A glass in his hand? They let him drink? Do they even know how old he is? _

Peter sat back and laughed, his eyes falling on Tony's. He looked so happy to see him. Peter jumped from the stool and made his way to where Tony was standing.

"Hey, you! I missed you!" He wrapped his arms around Tony's neck. Tony hugged him back and pulled back to look at him.

"I missed you too! Are you drunk?" 

Peter winked and broke off the hug. "Mm not drunk, although I aaaaalways feel like it when I am with you." He grinned, his hair a floppy mess.

"You do?" Tony laughed. 

"Always, always always Mr Beautiful." Peter tapped Tony's nose. "I am so lucky to be here with yoooou, I adore you." He grinned goofily.

Tony held onto his arm and whispered in his ear that it was time to go. Some pop song about a guy asking someone to dance with him came on, and Peter's face lit up.

"N'yet, Tony, one more dance!" he pouted, giving Stark his best puppy dog eyes. 

The older man couldn't resist and gave in for one last dance.  Peter took Tony's hands and placed them low on his back, while he pulled at Tony's shirt. Peter's eyes had a fire in them like he only wanted one thing. Him.  As the song told them to loosen up and let their hands go down, Peter did just that. Tony laughed under his breath and tried his best to keep up.

"You wanna know a secret Mr. Stark?" Peter whispered in his ear. 

"Indulge me." 

Peter froze for a second, he couldn't quite remember why those words sounded familiar.  He shook it off and carried on speaking. 

"I haaaave a crush ooooon you Mr. Stark, I am sooooo in. Love. With. You." He let his mouth run, not thinking at all about what he was saying or doing. All he knew was that he needed Tony to hear this, and if it goes wrong, he could blame it on the alcohol. 

The music got louder, some song that didn't understand the importance of eardrums.  Tony stopped dancing, and pulled Peter closer to him, one hand on the side of Peter's face. 

"I love you too Peter." He told him.

"What? I can't hear you! Music's loud!" Peter said louder, turning his head so his ear so he could hear."

"I said, I love you too!" Tony repeated.

"What?" Peter strained again.

"Oh for fuck sake!" Tony shouted in frustration. He held onto Peter's face and pressed his lips against his. Fireworks, need and love burst out in Tony's heart. 

Tony pulled away fast, he shouldn't be kissing a drunk 18-year-old. Peter stopped dancing, his eyes still closed, taking in the moment. His eyes fluttered open and found Tony's. 

Suddenly, they were crushed together in a passionate embrace, lips meeting, hands pulling each other as close as they could. Peter couldn't believe he waited this long, he felt sober in an instant, Tony's lips were so soft and everything about the kiss was perfect. 

Tony pulled back, his eyes still closed.

"Let's get out of here."

  
  
  
  



	8. The One Where Peter Finds Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst and heartache, Peter finds out who he has really been texting.

The two all but ran out of the room, holding hands, laughing as they went. As soon as they were out of the room, Tony pushed Peter against the wall and moved his head so their lips were almost touching. 

"You, Peter, you are utterly beguiling." He smirked, closing his eyes and rubbing their noses together. "What say we get out of here, sober up and make a night of it?"

Peter's hand touched the side of the other man's face and traced his jawline to his hair. "I'd love to." Peter pressed his forehead against Tony's. 

Soon they were in the car, one hand on the wheel and the other holding Peter's. Tony couldn't believe this, he looked over at the younger man, taking in his beauty. Every time he glanced over, Peter was looking back at him. His head resting back, his face watching Tony, with a glint in his eye and that goofy smile across his face.

"You're so handsome." Peter leaned in, kissing Tony's cheek.

Stark blushed, his lips curled upwards.  "You really do think so don't you?" 

"Mmhm. When we get inside I have so many plans." 

Tony looked over again, "Really?" 

"Really." 

"Let's not rush things beautiful." Tony leaned over to press a quick kiss on Peter's cheek.

-

They both entered the elevator and took a moment to look at each other over, gently inching towards each other. 

"Did you mean when you said you love me too?" Peter gingerly touched his neck. 

"I did Peter, I really did." They inched closer together, touching their lips against each other in their first proper kiss. Peter's hands in Tony's hair, kissing him slowly, tasting him as best he could. Each movement was blissful, a dance they both knew the moves to. Hot breaths against each other as the kiss got deeper and deeper. 

Stark's hands went up against Peter's back, lifting him up and pushing him against the wall. Tony took Peter's bottom lip in his teeth and got a satisfied moan in return. Peter opened his mouth to let Tony's tongue explore his mouth. By the time the elevator doors opened the two were pressed against each other, pushing each other against the walls, touching and grabbing every part of each other they could.

Tony pulled away and grinned, looking deeply and hungrily into the other man's eyes.

"Come on, let's get some water, put some music on and set the mood." He then walked out towards the kitchen, Peter skipping in tow.

Tony stopped in his tracks as his eyes settled on Pepper, standing by the table, waiting for his arrival. She had an expressionless face and was tapping against the table with her nails.

"Oh hey Pep!" His face had dropped but he tried his best to look not guilty. "Tony." She nodded, lifting an eyebrow.

As Peter skipped behind Tony, he too, stopped and his smile faded. "Oh hey, sorry," he spoke. "I should probably head off," he looked up to Tony.

"Thanks for the night out, nice to see you, Pepper!" He grinned, stepping back towards the elevator. 

Tony and Pepper looked at each other for a moment. "I'm gonna say goodbye to him, two seconds." He picked up a bottle of water out of the fridge and followed after Peter.  As the elevator doors were about to close, Tony stopped them. Peter looked up with the cutest expression on his face.

"Here," he handed him the bottle. "Don't swing home, Happy is downstairs, so go and ask him for a lift. Also here -" Tony looked back to make sure Pepper wasn't watching and he moved forward to press a kiss against Peter's lips. He stayed there for a moment before pulling back.

"I'll call you tomorrow." He winked at Peter as the elevator doors shut again. 

Peter's night ended wrapped up in bed with a giant smile on his face, dreaming about the one he loved.

Tony's night was just getting started.

"So Pepper how are you? How were mum and dad?" Tony walked through, trying to act normal as he walked over to her and kissed her cheek.  She moved back a few steps.

"They're fine. They wondered why you weren't with me." She leaned against the counter behind her.

"I told you, I was working and they hate me."

Tony leaned on the counter across from her.  Pepper huffed and crossed her arms. 

"What?" Tony questioned. "What's with the attitude?"

Pepper looked offended. "How long have I been away Tony?" 

"A week? A week and a half?" 

"And how many times have you contacted me? Called me? Answered any of my texts? It would have taken you no time to fly over and spend the day with us but no, instead you were what? Drinking? Partying?" 

Tony rubbed his hands over his face and sighed deeply. "Okay so I didn't contact you, that's what you're angry about?" 

"You don't get it, do you? Did you even miss me?" 

Tony took a pause before he replied. Did he miss her? Christ, now he thinks about it he really only thought about her when he wanted to kiss Peter. No one asked about her, no one reminded him. Not that he should need to be reminded… Christ, he was a total dick. He'd been quiet for a little too long.

"That's what I thought," Pepper spoke flatly. She walked over to her bag and looked through it. 

"I spoke to my family about you. They all told me the same thing. 'Pepper just because he is avenger does not mean he is the best you can do'. 'Pepper, if he doesn't care enough to contact you, why are you with him?' And you know what Tony? They were right." 

She pulled out a folder and threw it down on the table before him. "We signed a prenup, here are the divorce papers." Tony stared at them and then back up to Pepper. She wasn't playing around.

_ Okay, this isn't ideal, but that's definitely sped up the process. Tomorrow I can start a new life with Peter, and Pepper can move on. It's fast, it's unsafe, It's unsure, it's new... but maybe this way he can actually be happy and feel as though he really matters to someone. _

Tony opened a drawer and picked out a pen, opening the documents and looking for a place to sign. Pepper spent the night there, packing up her things, arguing with Tony about where their relationship went wrong. It all boiled down to where Tony's heart lay. The moment Peter came into his life, there was a shift in balance. Tony had no idea, but Pepper had been pushed to the side just like MJ.

**THE NEXT MORNING**

Peter woke up after a brilliant nights sleep, a smile plastered on his face and a song in his heart. He lay there, reminiscing about the touches, the glances, the fiery passionate kiss they shared as he was pushed against the wall.  He picked up his phone and texted Ned.

**P - ** When are you home? 

There was no reply. He lay there for a half-hour before getting up and in the shower. When he came out he met May in the kitchen for something to eat.

"Did you have fun at the event yesterday?" She asked him, picking up the orange juice to pour into the glasses she just picked out of the cupboard. 

"Yeah, it was good, met a lot of interesting people, some investors in Stark Industries. How about you? Did you go on another date with Happy this week?" 

"So not any of your business." She laughed, handing him one of the glasses.

"It so is! Come on, do you love him?" Peter grinned, sitting on the counter and taking a bite of a piece of toast.

"Uhh, I don't know yet. It's too soon. He's sweet, maybe…" She laughed. 

"I hope it goes well for you!" 

"Really? You don't totally hate that I'm dating your boss's assistant?"

Peter shrugged as he finished off his toast. "As long as you're happy." He spoke with his mouthful. A tune played in the background and Aunt May peered around.

"Hun I think that's your phone going!" 

"Oh!" Peter jumped off the counter and made his way to his phone.

_ Please be Tony, please be Tony! _

"Yes!" He looked at the caller ID. Tony.

"Hey, you!" Peter answered in an excited tone.

"Oh, so you haven't forgotten about me? I've been away for three odd weeks and I haven't heard from you once!" Ned's voice rang through his ears.

"Ned? What are you doing on Mr. Stark's phone?"

"I'm not on Mr. Stark's phone, I'm on my phone! You've not been messing about with your phone again have you?"

Peter panicked. "If I haven't been texting you who the fuck have I been texting?" 

"I don't know, but it's not as if you've sent me nudes or something… you haven't right?" Ned laughed.

"No of course not, I just talked about Mr. Stark and how much I love him and whoever it was was completely pretending to be you, we spoke all night!" 

"If I were you I'd call it and see. Wait… you don't think it was Mr. Stark? Do you?"

Peter began to panic even more. "Ned I gotta hang up, I'll come by yours later."

Ned said his goodbyes and they hung up the phone. Peter started to pace around his room, trying to regain any sense of calm he had. 

_ It can't be that bad, it won't be Tony. It'll be someone else, a relative, an old friend, the takeaway guy, it'll be fine. Just call it. _

After ten minutes he bucked up the courage. He unlocked his phone and clicked on Ned. Call. It rang three times before someone picked up. "Hello, Tony Stark's phone, this is Pepper." Peter froze. No. No, no, no. It can't be. He began to panic. This was the worst thing that could have happened. The entire time it was Tony? How could he lie to him like that?

"Hello?" Pepper asked again. "You there?" 

Peter hung up the phone and almost threw it at the wall. But he didn't, instead, he carried on pacing. He had to confront Tony, he had to find out why he was kept in the dark. This hurt him so much, he had no idea how Tony could hurt him like that.

"Tony,

Meet me on the rooftop asap.

  * Peter"

  
  


"Hey Peter ❤

See you soon!!

-TS 🤖"

Tony was ecstatic to get the email from Peter, he couldn't wait to tell him what happened and now he can finally ask the guy on a date! Hold his hand, see his face in the morning! Gah! He picked his phone off the table and shoved it into his pocket. He noticed a Pepper was still packing her things.

"I'll be gone when you return." She said. 

"Do you not want help?" Tony replied.

"Nah, you've done enough."

"Ouch okay, well I guess this is goodbye." He offered her a hug. She smiled and accepted the hug, which only lasted for a moment or two.  She took off her rings and placed them on the table, patted him on the shoulder and headed back into the lounge to grab her boxes.

Tony fled as fast as he could to get to the rooftop where his beloved was waiting for him. As he landed on the rooftop, he deactivated the suit and stood behind Peter. Peter at this point was sitting on the edge, swinging his feet.

"Hey," Tony offered softly. Peter turned his head and stood up, turning to face him. Something in Tony's heart told him Peter wasn't as happy as he was.

"Everything okay?" 

"I don't know Tony. Is everything okay?" He laughed in annoyance, trying to keep anger under control.

"Peter, what's going on?" Tony neared him, making Peter look him dead in the eyes. Tony stopped dead in his tracks as Peter pulled his phone out and pressed a button.

Suddenly Tony's phone began to ring loudly in his pocket. His head bowed and his eyes clenched shut.

_ Of course. _

"Fuck." He sighed.

"Yeah, fuck is right." Peter spat out. "What the fuck Tony? Couldn't you have told me I was texting the wrong number?" 

"I was going to Peter, but you said some things that if I told you it was me, you'd be embarrassed. I didn't want to do that to you." 

"So instead you let me confess my deepest secrets to you before I was ready? Do you know how  _ hurt _ I am? Was any of this real or did you just feel sorry for me?" 

That stung Tony's heart. He never had the intention of hurting Peter, he hated himself so much right now.

"Not a single word I said was a lie. I never felt sorry for you for a second." 

"I'm sorry but right now I can't believe a word you say!" Peter's eyes filled up with tears. 

"I wanted to tell you myself when I was ready when I knew you could want me and not just because I told you I wanted you, but instead we played this game where you, me and Pepper would all end up getting hurt. I can't do this, it's too much!" His chin began to shiver as tears streamed out of his eyes.

"Peter please…" Tony teared up too!

"I love you, Tony. I need you to love me for me, not because you feel sorry for me! Sorry for the poor little spidey boy in love with an older, better man. I don't want your sympathy!" The moment he finished his sentence he stretched his arm and shot out a web, swinging off the building and leaving Tony standing on the rooftop alone.


	9. I love you 3000

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> GET READY TO CLUTCH YOUR HEART
> 
> Let me know if you want a romantic first-time chapter next or if you think this should be the last one.

Here he was, standing at the window, watching the life of the city carry on.

Afghanistan was beyond years ago, where everything started. Iron Man was born and his world changed. The next thing he knew adventures and battles never stopped. Then this boy came into his life, this little 14, 15-year-old annoyance who looked at him as if he was good. He did everything he could to impress him. 

And finally, that boy made it into a man and danced straight into Tony's heart.  He lost his best friends, his family, his health. He developed anxiety, he developed… a heart. He died and then he came back, and only NOW did he truly feel like crying.

What was he to do now? He couldn't just leave this alone. There was no way he was going to give up. The boy stowed away into his life, into his heart, taking over every thought he had. 

Peter's ghost was around him. A memory of when they spent time together. When Tony entered the lab, he remembered sitting on the ground, panicking over losing the boy,  _ sorry, man. _ And then he was there, touching him, bringing calm into his mind and heart again.

Everywhere he looked he saw Peter. Sitting on the sofa, cross-legged in his oversized T-shirt, reading the food menu. His eyes lighting up when they played 20 questions. Falling asleep against Tony. 

Looking up to the bedroom he could see Peter fall onto the bed in exhaustion, wrapping himself up in the duvet.  Even while Tony went into his bedroom he could see Peter's stunned face when he gazed upon his torso accidentally. 

The man was hard to forget. His phone lit up with an alarm reminding him to eat. He pressed the exit alarm button and stared at the photo screensaver. That photo Peter sent him, cuddled up in bed. He looked at it at every moment he could. Missing the way Peter looked at him. 

Tony smiled,  _ did he really think this was all a game? Nothing could matter more to him than Peter right now. Was he okay? Was he crying? Did he miss Tony as much as Tony did him? _

The glint in Peter's eyes when he saw him at the reception. The explosion in his heart when Peter told him he loved him. He knew from the start but hearing it was so much better.  He tried to picture what Peter was up to right now. As Tony opened the fridge, he saw the largely out of date Chinese take out in the fridge. It probably smelled horrible but he didn't want to throw it out. 

He read over the texts Peter sent him.

_ 'He's perfect'  _

Tony looked down at his ringless fingers and sighed. This was going to be a long day.

-

Over on the other side of town, Peter sat with Ned sharing stories of Europe and Tony Stark.  Ned had a million photos of monuments and random people doing the most ridiculous things. Mimes on the street and people dressed as statues. 

"And you just left him there??" Ned didn't comprehend. "You have loved him forever, he told you he loved you, and you left him there??"  Peter was sitting on the floor, hugging his knees.

"Do you think I overreacted?" His eyes focused on a spot on the floor.

"Uh yeah, just a bit? So what he kept you from embarrassment? He let you tell him yourself. He didn't urge you, in fact, it seems like he gave you plenty of opportunities." Ned stated matter of factly. 

Peter kept staring at the floor. "I don't think he will forgive me. I was pretty mean." He was picking at his fingers again, maybe he had overreacted? Maybe Tony did actually want him? 

"How the fuck could Tony like me?" He whined, "I'm ugly and awkward and I say all the wrong things, I'm young and a total embarrassment." 

"He danced with you under the stars. Does that not count for something?" 

Peter sighed and lay back down. "This entire situation is fucked up."

\-- 

It was much later in the evening before Peter walked back to his place. It was raining and grey outside, perfect for walking alone feeling sorry for yourself. He was dripping wet when he reached his building.

As he walked towards the door he saw the reflection of Tony's car parked behind him. He turned around and walked over, knocking on the window.  As the window rolled down Peter crouched down to talk to Tony.

"What are you doing here?" 

Tony paused, the tone stung.  "I uh, I wanted a chance to explain things."

Peter nodded. "I don't know how I'm feeling Tony." 

"I know. But I'll wait here all night. I've got nowhere else to be." 

Peter looked around and wiped his head.  "I'm going to go upstairs now Tony." He pulled away, his heart was breaking, he really wanted to get in. He felt as if he had this conversation now, his feelings would take him over and he needed to be level headed for this.

"I mean it, Pete. I'll be here all night."

Peter walked back to the building and entered, looking back to see the pain in Tony's eyes. God that hurt.

It had been an hour and fifteen minutes, Tony was still there. Peter watched from the window, thinking back to all their moments.

_ "Did you go out and buy it?" Tony laughed as he followed Peter to where he placed the basket.  _

_ "Uh yeah, I thought I'd get your favorite, that place we went to before? You know the french bakery?" _

-

_ "Pepper's good. She's never done anything like this for me before though." He chuckled, finishing off his mouthful. _

_ "No? Well. You deserve it." Peter shrugged. _

-

_ "Hey," Tony said, mirroring Peter and pulling his right hand to his own face. "I'm here too."  _

-

_ "Are you wanting a punch to the face?" _

_ "Are you?" A third voice spoke. Flash looked up to see Tony Stark standing beside him, glaring at him like he was about to kill him. _

-

_ Tony smirked, holding out his hand for Peter to hold onto.  _

_ "Would you like to fly with me?" His eyes glistened as he asked that question. _

-

_ Tony's hand found its way around the younger man's back and pulled him in close, holding Peter's other hand in his. He could feel that Peter was holding his breath,  _

_ "Relax," Stark whispered in his ear, sending a shiver down Parker's back. Slowly, he began to lead him in a dance. Under the stars, where the whole world was theirs, for this moment and this moment only. _

-

_ "Wow!" Tony grinned, looking Peter up and down. "You look amazing." He stepped forward and kissed Peter's cheek.  _

-

_ "Oh for fuck sake!" Tony shouted in frustration. He held onto Peter's face and pressed his lips against his. Fireworks, need and love burst out in Tony's heart.  _

-

Peter grabbed his coat and ran out of the room, down the stairs and out the door. Tony was hunched over the steering wheel, his head in his arms.  Peter opened the door and sat in, soaking wet. He closed the door as Tony looked up, surprised and teary-eyed.

"Pete?" His voice was on the verge of breaking.

"Let's just drive Tony, we've got some stuff to talk about." He smiled sweetly.

"Where do you want to go?" He asked as he started up the car. 

"Anywhere. As long as I'm with you."

Tony began to drive, and the two sat silently as Tony drove up to the hut on the hill.  Once there, the rain had stopped, thank god! They walked inside.

"Here," Tony picked up a blanket and wrapped it around Peter. "Keep yourself warm." 

Peter smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed with the blanket over his shoulders.  "Thank you."

Tony sat across from him on the sofa. Again, they sat in silence. Peter searched over Tony's expression, his body language… his hand?

"Where's your wedding ring?" 

"Planning on donating it to charity, since I won't be needing it anymore." He spoke quietly, watching for any sort of validation from Peter. 

"You and Pepper are over?" He seemed incredibly happy.

"Yeah, we don't have to worry about that. She's gone and she is never coming back." 

Peter smiled. "I didn't mean to be mean to you Tony. I was just hurt, I just don't know what you could see in me…" his eyes looked down at Tony's shoes.

Tony laughed under his breath and slowly got down on his knees.

"Peter." He whispered, touching the man's face, and lifting his chin to look at him.

"Do you know how much effort it is to be around you? It takes all my effort not to tell you how much I admire and love you, not to kiss your beautiful face and be the reason your eyes light up."

Peter grinned, a tear coming out of his eye and falling down his cheek. Tony wiped the tear away with his thumb. 

"You remembered?" His voice cracked as he gazed up at the man.

"I must have read that text a thousand times. This isn't because you're in love with me and it's not because I feel bad for you, it's because when I look at my life, I see so much pain and suffering. But when I look at you… it all sort of... disappears. And I know I have no reason to panic… you're my reason to breathe. To look after myself. To open up. 

I'm not perfect, in fact, I fuck up a lot. I'm older, and I'm uglier than you. I can be arrogant and sometimes I don't see other people's feelings.  But you know all that, and you love me anyway. I can never be more thankful for that. 

I know there's a possibility you'll find someone younger and better for you, maybe you'll leave me when you realize I'm not what you want.  But no one has ever loved me as you do. So please, don't give up on us yet. I haven't even shown you how great we could be together. "

Peter was crying freely, tears falling off each side of his face. Smiling through his sobs as his hands touched Tony. 

"Tony I…" he breathed in, wiping his nose.

"I've been in love with you since the day I met you… I never thought a man like you could ever love me back. You're everything I have ever wanted. I don't think anyone could match up to you.  I… I have loved every moment we spent together, and every moment made me love you more. I'm not going to find someone better than you, because you're it for me. You're the best man I know.

People might look at us weird. And you're going to get older before me, but I'll love you even when your hair is grey. I'll love you even when we are arguing. Hell, I'll love you even after I'm dead. 

I don't care about any of that. If I get to be the one you open your eyes to, then that's all that matters."

Tony was crying too, moving so their noses were touching together. 

"I love you, Tony," Peter whispered.

"Oh, Peter… I love you 3000."


	10. Whatever you need

Peter slowly tilted his head, pressing their lips together for a long, soft kiss. Tony's lips moved against his. He poured everything he had into the kiss, he let all his feelings seep out and cover the man before him. 

"Tony…" Peter pulled away. "I… I really want us to work.. do you think we would wait before we make love?" 

Tony didn't look at all disappointed. Instead, he nodded and kissed the man again, shorter this time, but just as perfect. He softly kissed the top of Peter's head.

"My darling, I will wait as long as you need to to be ready. I don't want to do anything until you are sure." 

The younger man's heart felt like it was racing, the pure love that surrounded them that night was like something from a movie or a song…  _ or a fanfiction.  _ He knew he had chosen the right person to love.

"Tony… could you hold me?"

Tony stood up and kicked off his shoes, sitting beside Peter on the bed and leading him to lie down in his arms against the pillows. Peter lay as he did in the guest room, his head on his lover's chest, wrapped up in those strong arms.

Tony kissed the top of his head and rested his eyes on the man snuggled up to him.  _ Finally. _

"Tony… this sounds stupid… I kinda don't want to know, but did you ever bring Pepper here?"

Tony chuckled and squeezed Peter against him. "Not once, it was my escape from her."

"Mmmm, that makes me special." Peter smiled, snuggling his face into Tony.

"You are special."

They enjoyed each other's company, listening to their breathing, almost in rhythm. 

"Tony...?" Peter's voice crept out, his voice was unsure.

"Mmm?"

"What... what sort of life do you think we will have?" 

Tony put his fingers through Peter's hair and moved them so they were lying face to face, arms wrapped around each other, legs tangled together.

"We can have whatever life you want. We can get married, or we could just live together, we can take things slow. We could have kids in the future, or we can live our lives just for us. If you wanted to we could buy a million dogs. I don't care, as long as you are beside me, that's all that matters."

Tony began to sing quietly, proving to Peter how safe and loved he was.

"Wise men say… only fools rush in… but I can't help falling in love with you…" he sung in hushed tones as Peter drifted off into a light sleep, a sweet smile on his face.

-

When the light crept through the next morning, Peter and Tony woke up in the same position. 

"I can't believe we're here," Peter whispered, kissing Tony's cheek. "I still can't believe you chose me." 

"Well believe it, baby. I'd rather be with you than anyone else."

The two got up and traveled back into town, goofily staring at each other from time to time, laughing every time they caught eyes. They were like teenagers in love, well one of them technically was still a teenager, but you get the picture. 

When they pulled up outside Peter's building, Tony stretched his arm around the seats and turned his body to face the passenger side.

"Go on in and get into something warm," Tony offered sweetly. Peter looked up at him with puppy dog eyes.

"I don't wanna leave you though." 

The older man laughed and reached over into the glove compartment. He pulled out a set of keys with a fob and handed it to Peter.

"Take these, come over any time. You don't need to ask or text beforehand." 

The younger man could have bounced off of the ceiling! This was real?! He was becoming a part of a couple?! He grinned, taking the keys and kissing Tony's cheek.

"I don't know what to say! I'd give you a key to mine but the locks broken so you could just walk in!" He giggled. Tony laughed as well.

"Look Pete, Uhm, let me know how fast or slow you want to go. Keys, leaving stuff at my place, clearing out a drawer… I don't want to scare you or push you into anything, but I'm ready for it all. You set the pace. Because if it were up to me you'd be staying with me tonight and every night from now." 

His eyes couldn't fixate on anything, he was so worried that he would say the wrong thing or scare him away.

"Mr. Stark, was that a proposal to move in together?" Peter questioned in a flirtatious tone.

Tony opened his mouth to speak but had no idea what to say.

"We haven't even discussed what we are yet." Peter fumbled with the keys. "You look adorable when you're nervous. " 

"You'll have to come over and use your key before anything is official babe. Go - May will be worried. But please sort out your phone contacts and call me?" 

Peter threw his head back and laughed, opening the door and getting out. "I will." He grinned, shutting the door. As Tony was about to turn the keys in the ignition, the door opened again.

"Forget something babe?" He smirked as Peter crawled in.

"Yep!" He pulled Tony closer and kissed him. Tony smiled into the kiss. Once it was over, he could still feel his lips. "Mm, that was wonderful thank you." 

Peter winked at him and crawled out again, waving to Tony as he drove away.

-

Peter opened the door to his flat, a skip in his step as he entered the kitchen. He opened the fridge to find a drink. He grabbed a can when he heard a voice.

"Can you get me out a soda babe?" Whose voice was that? It was oddly familiar… oh god. 

Peter quickly closed the fridge and was greeted by a mostly naked Happy standing in front of him. The man was just in a towel.

"Oh fuck!" Peter shouted, turning around and covering his eyes, trying to suppress the burst of laughter bubbling up in his chest.

"Shit shit shit," Happy hurried back into Aunt May's bedroom. "I'm sorry Pete, I didn't know you were in!" 

Peter continued to laugh, grasping at his side. "No, it's okay Happy I should have announced myself." He managed to get out before laughing again.

Aunt May walked out of the bathroom, with a toothbrush in her mouth. 

"Oh hey, Pete! Did you have a good night?" 

Peter tried to keep his face as straight as he could. "Yeah, just about as good as yours." 

She glared at him as she held the toothbrush to point at him.

"No judging!" She smirked as she told him. Her eyes said she was angry but her lips gave her away. "You're happy I'm happy right?"

Peter nodded and opened his can, making his way to his bedroom. "I'm happy your happy." He confirmed.

-

As Tony entered his apartment, he couldn't help but wish he was there with Peter. He decided that he was going to make this place a lot more Peter friendly. Starting with his clothes room.

Tony had around 50 odd suits, so he needed a ridiculous amount of storage space. He felt weird having his own room for his clothes, but now it could be  _ their _ clothes room. 

Pepper didn't really take up much space for clothes, she kept everything very neat and tucked away.

He started with the drawers and moved all the stuff he no longer needed out to a pile on the floor. He kept all his giant shirts for Peter and cleared out some room.

It wasn't that later on in the day, it must have only been around 2 pm. He kept himself busy so he didn't annoy the man and cleaned the fridge out of all the gross food. 

He was thinking about a new invention, one that he and Peter could both use wherever they were. After cleaning around he made his way to the lab to make his love a present. 

  
  
  
  
  
  



	11. Peter... here me out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The biggest decision of Peter's life has never been so easy.
> 
> WARNING CLUTCH YOUR HEART AND GET THE KLEENEX

Tony had been sitting in the lab for hours. He had this huge plan. This crazy plan. It could go one of two ways. Either Peter would adore it and he would get maaaaajor brownie points for his. Or, Peter would hate it and walk away, leaving him heartbroken and alone again.

There's no chance Peter could walk away. The man loved him, there are no two cents about it, he breathed in every single molecule of Tony's existence. As Peter said himself, Tony was it for him. So Tony was going to bite the bullet, take the bull by the horns, take off his safety precautions and jump headfirst into the new Tony. Tony 2.0. The new era. And he just couldn't wait.

There are no two perfect people for each other than Peter and Tony. They both saw it, Ned saw it and hopefully, everyone else will know it. But Tony isn't going to let what anyone says or thinks stand in his way from being happy. After everything that he's been through, he deserves.

He called Rhodey, he needed his Ned to talk to. Tony filled him with everything he missed over the last month, leaving behind no detail... well, maybe one or two details. Rhodey didn't need to hear how soft Peter's lips were or how lovingly he looked into his eyes.

"I… have no words. One day I see you and you're married to Pepper, content and mentoring a boy, calling him nothing but a kid, and now you're telling me that Pep is gone and you are planning on taking the next step with the kid, who is now the love of your life?" 

"He isn't a kid, Peter is eighteen! He's a man, and honestly, I haven't been surer of anything in all my life." 

"Have you thought about the rest of _ his _ life?" 

"Yes. We've talked about it, he has ideas for his life, but the one thing he knows for certain is me. I'm not being stupid about this Rhodes,"

"Never said you were. I'm just surprised, you never do things like this. You're usually so level headed and thinking things through. It's always been logical with you."

"I was content, but I wanted to be ecstatic. That's what I am now, I really don't want it to end. Finally, I can follow my heart."

"You know what Tony? Go for it. I'll sort out everything we discussed before, you just text me the outcome yeah?" He could hear Rhodey was smiling as he spoke.

"Perfect I can always count on you," Tony concluded. They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone.

Tony leaned against the table, holding himself up by hands. He thought about Peter's eyes, his smile. God, he loved him, and this plan was the perfect one to show Peter exactly how much.

_ Fuck I'm so nervous. I'm so nervous! I've never been this nervous. _

This wasn't anything like a panic attack or any sort of terrifying feeling. Instead, it was a wave of excitement and raging anticipation of what was about to happen. The biggest decision of both our lives and he couldn't wait for that moment.

He spent the rest of the day planning, creating, making ridiculous orders in the nearest craft stores. It had to be perfect. It had to be Peter.

-

Peter was having the best day. He spent the day with Ned, attending the nearest amusement park. He must have been on the waltzers at least seven times and he never got bored of it. 

The two best friends spent the day eating candy floss and winning prizes. Peter won T-shirt making kits, Spiderman and Iron Man action figures and a stuffed whale toy. Ned, on the other hand, won a dartboard, a collection of Pokemon cards and eight various Star Wars figures. 

"We have successfully spent all our money!" Ned laughed as he tried to lug all of his winnings under his arms.

Peter stuffed everything into his bag and threw it over his shoulders.

"Speak for yourself, I still have three dollars yet!" He grinned as they walked out of the park. 

"Lucky you, what time is it anyway?"

Peter rolled up his sleeve to check his watch. "Uhhh…. 5.27." 

"We still have a few hours we could kill. What do you want to do?" 

Just at that moment, Peter's phone began to play 'Don't Fear the Reaper'. "Hold on," he commented to Ned as he brought the phone to his ear.

"Hey!" "Hey babe, are you busy?" Tony sounded nervous as fuck. "Me and Ned just came out of the park, we had the best day! How come?" "Could you come over? You can use your key! Just be sure to come alone." "I'd love to! Is everything okay?" 

Tony chuckled into the phone. "Of course my love, just hurry up. I miss you!" 

Peter grinned when he heard Tony missed him. "I miss you too, I'll be there soon."

Peter hung up the phone and put it into his pocket. "Ned, my man is waiting for me, rain check?" He beamed as he walked backward away from Ned.

"Sure Peter, have fun!" He attempted to wave and ended up dropping some of his prizes. Peter hurried over to Tony's, he couldn't wait to see him and jump into his arms.

_ [ Authors note: _ ** _beware you're going to be clutching your heart _ ** _ ] _

Within ten minutes Peter was in the elevator, waiting to hit the top floor. He fingered the keys in his pocket and watched the screen tell him as he went up each floor.

Finally, the doors opened. All the lights were off, but there was a glow, among the room. Slowly as he stepped out into the room, and dropped his bag when he realized that the pathway and the entire floor was decorated with millions of red and golden candles. The smell of cinnamon apples and roses filled the room. At first, he was about to call out and question, but then it dawned on him. This was all for him. He looked around as step by step he made his way into the room, following the path laid out by the candles. As he turned the corner to the open space in the room, he saw Tony, kneeling before him, surrounded by a bed of rose petals. He was wearing a beautiful blue suit, the one that Peter loved most.

"Tony…" Peter's eyes began to tear up, looking at the nervous and beautiful man before him.

"Peter…" Tony smiled sweetly. He pulled out a ring box from his pocket and opened it, holding it out to the younger man.

"Before you say anything, Pete, hear me out."

He took a deep breath in to prepare himself.

"Peter Parker, you have completely changed my life around. I've never been more in love with someone as I am with you. My entire life has been an adventure, and I thought it was all over. But when you smile at me, I know that I'll always have you as the best adventure in my life."

A tear streamed down his cheek as he continued. 

"When you look at me, I feel like I'm falling in love all over again. Yes, you've been in love with me for longer, but I promise you it doesn't mean anything for the depths in which I adore you. So this… this ring…" his voice cracked as more tears dripped off his face.

Peter's hands were over his mouth, wiping tears as they exited those beautiful eyes that Tony couldn't tear away from.

"This ring can be whatever you want it to be. It can be a promise ring, a promise that we will be engaged soon… an engagement ring, a promise that we will soon be married… or… or we could run away right now and get married. It's your choice Peter baby because I'm all yours. I'm all in"

Peter slowly stepped further towards him, sniffing as he stretched out his hand.

Tony kept his gaze and pulled out the ring, placing it on Peter's finger. Both of them were a teary mess, as Peter knelt down in front of him. He gently touched Tony's jaw and softly pressed his lips against the other man's.

"What are we waiting for?" He whispered.

Tony kissed the man again and held a hopeful expression on his face. "You, you mean it?"

"Let's get going." Peter stood up, pulling Tony to a stand.

"I… I'll get the rings and call Happy, you call May. Quick, let's blow out all the candles." His smile filled the lower half of his face as he pulled Peter against his body and kissed him. They pulled away from each other and began to blow out the candles as they pulled out their phones.

"Aunt May? You busy?" Peter asked as he continued to blow out the candles. The smell lingered. He watched Tony jump around, extinguishing every light around the room. 

"I'm just making dinner - are you coming home?"

"How fast can you get to Stark Industries?"

"Probably ten minutes, why?"

"Well hurry up because I'm getting married and I need you to be here!"

"YOU'RE WHAT?"

Over on Tony's end, Happy took ages to answer the phone.

"Sir?" He answered. Tony could hear someone talking in the background.

"YOU'RE WHAT?" they screamed. 

"Happy, drive yourself and May over here, we need witnesses." Tony urged him.

"Witnesses for what, are you murdering someone tonight because honestly, I'm not dealing with the paperwork." Happy groaned.

"We're getting married, meet us downstairs asap." 

"Okay... Whose 'we'?"

"Me and Peter. That okay?"

"No wonder May's crying… Congratulations! I'll get her some kleenex and we'll be on the road in a minute."

After the phone calls and the candles were all out, they stopped and looked at each other. Each of them with a soft and adoring smile on their faces, tears dried up on their cheeks.

"We're getting married," Peter whispered.

Tony nodded, "We are…"

Peter ran up to Tony and jumped on him, wrapping his legs around Tony's waist and grabbing into Tony's hair. Their lips pressed against each other in a passionate embrace. Tony's arms holding him up, fire burning between them.


	12. With this ring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second to last chapter! Weep, love and in the last chapter get heated, I'll make a nice message to you for the last chapter.

Happy texted to say they were outside the building, waiting for them in the limo. Tony was already dressed up in his suit, and luckily he had extra suits in various sizes for his beloved to wear. As Peter skipped to Tony's room to get himself ready, Tony pulled a second ring box out of his pocket. He had hoped that Peter would make the choice he did, if he didn't, these rings would be saved for a later date. But he knew the rings would come in handy one day.

He opened them and took one out. There were two matching silver rings, each with an inscription on the inside. Tony's said Peter and Peter's said, Tony. He engraved them himself and was overwhelmed with the notion of being married to a beautiful, young, caring and loving man.

He slid the box back into his pocket.

"Do I look like I'm about to get married?" Peter's voice was like music to his ears. Tony glanced up. He was absolutely breathtaking. 

"Oh my god," Tony spoke under his breath. Peter was wearing a tight black suit, with a white shirt and a black tie. 

"Oh my god good? Or ``oh my god no?" Peter asked in a cute and innocent way. He looked unsure of himself as he flattened down the jacket and straightened his back.

"Oh my god, I can't wait to marry you." Tony grinned, reaching out his hand. "Come on Pete, let's get hitched." 

Getting into the car, Tony and Peter sat in the back. The moment the doors were closed they were interrogated by Peter's aunt.

"When did you two become a thing?" May questioned, pretty much straight away. 

"Uhh…" Peter and Tony shared an amused glance, they had no idea what to say. 

"I've loved him since the moment I met him," Peter confessed to his aunt and her boyfriend.

"And I… I am head over heels." Tony grinned, kissing his hand. Happy looked into the mirror back to them and smiled. 

"I can't believe no one told me!" May exclaimed, "Not that I'm not happy for you but I am if you'd asked me I would have said you're too young but -" 

Peter cut her off. "But you're happy I'm happy, right?"

May turned and softened her gaze. Her arm reached into the back and held onto Peter's hand.

"I'm happy you're happy." 

Tony pulled out his phone to text Rhodey, before turning on the camera

"Getting hitched selfie?" 

He leaned in close to Peter and smiled. Peter grinned too, posing for the photo. The next one, Peter was kissing Tony's cheek. 

-

They soon arrived at where Tony had called ahead and set up a small ceremony, just in case Peter said yes. They were getting married in a beautiful little old church that isn't used much anymore.

[Authors note; for the purpose of the story marriage licenses can fuck off]

It was a small venue, but a cute one, decorated with flowers and candles. Again, the lighting was low and the scent of the room was filling their senses. The fifth person was waiting there for them, a priest standing under an arch at the end of the room.

"Are you Mr. Stark and Mr. Parker?" He asked, clutching his bible in his hand. The priest was a friendly little old man, with short grey and white hair, a white mustache, and red-tinted sunglasses.

[Stan Lee Cameo]

Tony nodded and led Peter slowly up the aisle. "We are, and these are our witnesses." He motioned over to May and Happy.

Peter stood opposite his fiancee, admiring him. Every glint in his eye, a sparkle in his smile, motion in his expression. God, he loved it.

Happy and May stood a foot and a half away from them, holding hands as May used the other one to wipe her tears.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to unite these two men in marriage and love. Tony Stark and Peter Parker, are here to express their love. Mr. Stark has told me that this ceremony means that he is finally in the presence of true love. Nothing brings me more joy than to bring two people who are meant to be together, into the world of partnership.

Do you Peter Parker, take Tony Stark to be your husband?"

Peter bit his lip and smiled. "I do."

"And do you Tony Stark take Peter Parker as your husband?" 

"I most certainly do." Tony held out his hand. Both men's eyes misty, as they looked into each other's eyes.

"Do you want to recite vows or have you written your own?"

Tony hesitated for a second before answering. "I would like to say my own please."

The younger man's heart nearly burst from seeing how prepared he was. Tony pulled out the ring box and opened it up.

May sobbed into Happy as he put his arm around her.

"Peter… my love. What can I say that I haven't already said? You came into my life and you stole my heart, I never realized I could be this happy. I'm so thankful you messed with your phone, I'm so thankful we both survived, and I am so thankful you said yes tonight. You make me feel alive again."

He placed a ring on Peter's finger, tears threatening to escape the corners of his eyes.

"Tony," Peter started, picking out the second ring. "I've dreamed about this moment a thousand times. Before you even saw me as a man. Now that it's here, I'm thankful for all those years I spent loving you and never stopped. You are my heart and everything I have ever wanted. I love you 3000."

May was heard sobbing even louder in the background as Peter slipped the ring on Tony's finger.

"By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you man and husband. You may kiss as a sign of your love."

Tony pulled Peter close and kissed him deeply, hands around each other. From now on, everything would be alright between them.

As they pulled away Tony whispered in his ear. "I have a surprise waiting for you at home."

Peter raised his eyebrows in a questioning look. "Home?"

"Home," Tony confirmed, kissing the younger man again.

\-- 

After all, the signing of the marriage certificate was complete, they waved goodbye to the priest and headed back towards Stark Industries. Tony and Peter were cuddling in the back seat, snogging each other as May tried to lay down some ground rules.

"You'd better get your degree Peter, and Tony I expect you to make sure he gets it! And just because you're married doesn't mean you have to settle down, go see the world.

You'd better not keep him up too late, and remember he's allergic to -"

Happy moved his hand to squeeze hers.

"He knows love," Happy smiled.

She smiled at him sweetly before she looked back at the newlyweds, realizing they weren't wearing their seatbelts. 

"What are you trying to die? At least wait until you get home!" She called to them.  Tony and Peter laughed into the kiss as they continued to search each other's bodies. 

Back in the elevator, they were trying not to touch each other as they were in an enclosed space with two other people.

Instead, they settled for holding hands, and when they settled on the top floor, Tony encouraged Peter to be the first to walk out. 

With an amused look on his face, Peter walked out in front of Tony, dragging him along by his hand.  When they reached the main space, a group of people jumped up yelling "Surprise!" 

There was confetti everywhere and balloons, all their friends were there!

Clint, Banner, Thor, Strange, Valkyrie, Carol, T'Challa, Rhodey, Scott and their partners, as well as Ned. 

They all had huge grins on their faces, shouting comments of congratulations to the happy couple. Peter initially jumped and he laughed, holding Tony close to him.

"Oh my god everyone! Thank you so much!" Peter's face was red, he was not expecting anything like this! 

Today he woke up and thought the best part of his day would be going on the waltzers. And now he is at an Avengers reunion celebration party for HIS marriage to the love of his life.

Not one single thing could make this day better, he would remember it as the day his dreams came true.

Thor picked him up in a congratulatory Thor hug. "Good job, Spider boy! You've got a good man in Tony!"

Peter laughed and tried to catch his breath.

"Thanks Thor! I know!" 

Thor dropped him to the ground and went to shake Tony's hand. He then trotted off to hunt for food. Rhodey had managed to send up a stand-by party just in case, and everyone brought something with them; food, drinks, the lot.

May watched from the back, as everyone hugged, talked and laughed. She watched as Peter giggled, staring into Tony's eyes like he was the only person in the world.

He seemed happy, even more so than happy. In slow motion, she watched as he began a new era in his life. May wiped a tear from her eye as she looked over at the way Tony touched the small of Peters back, whispering in his ear. 

She knew they had made the right choice, but she was heartbroken as she knew she was saying goodbye to her boy. 

She felt an arm wrap around her and she leaned in close to the touch. May was starting a new adventure too, and she couldn't feel safer than she did right then.

The part lasted until the small hours of the morning, and Peter had only been allowed one drink. Even though he was old enough to get married, he was technically still not enough to drink. He toasted his nuptials with a glass of champagne and felt on top of the world.

As everyone left, Banner helped clean up the mess and Thor gathered all the food to bring to his place. In the background, Strange and Carol were getting into a heated debate about who would win between them if they had to fight.

May had Peter wrapped in her arms tightly. "I'm not dying!" Peter laughed.

"But you're my baby and you're leaving me!" She whined as she refused to let go.

"I'll come back for dinner at least once a week!"

"Make it twice a week, and we are having an Aunt - Nephew date night, you don't get a choice in this. "

Peter laughed as she pulled away. She kissed his cheek and fixed his tie before heading over to a tired Happy leaning against the wall.

As they watched everyone leave, Tony pressed himself against Peter's back, arms snaking around his waist and his face dipping to kiss Peter's face.

"It's late, wanna go to bed?"


	13. The Chapter we have all been waiting for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, the end of the road. I can't thank you all enough for the stunning comments you've given me.
> 
> I have been going through a hard time with depression, insomnia, and a big break-up, and waking up to your comments every day really made me smile.
> 
> You are all gorgeous souls, so this last chapter is for each and every one of you angels who stuck with me to chapter 13. 
> 
> I will aim to start new fics too, so please enjoy this wonderful sex scene as best you can, and remember kids, you can download a03 fics to your kindle :)

What a difference a day makes. One day you're living your life the way you want it, then suddenly you receive a text, and nothing seems good enough anymore. 

The realization, the flirting, the dates, the confessions, it all led to this night. The stars were out, the mood was right and everything was magical. 

Tony whispered in Peter's ear. "It's late, wanna go to bed?"

Peter smiled as he touched Tony's arm. He leaned back into the embrace. 

"We'll just sleep, I promise," Tony whispered, kissing his ear lightly.  Peter closed his eyes and rested his head back.

"Tony…" he whispered back. "I'm ready."

Tony smiled slightly, kissing Peter again lightly.

"Are you sure?"

Peter turned around slowly to face the older man. "I'm dead sure. I want you." He grinned, reaching up to pull their mouths closer together. He let their lips hover over Tony's. 

"How about we celebrate this in our bedroom?" 

Tony swept Peter of his feet within a moment and carried him in his arms. Peter giggled as he gazed up at the man holding him, moving through the hallways and towards  _ their _ bedroom.

Tony kicked the door open and walked inside, lying Peter on the bed beneath him. They flicked their shoes off and left them in a heap on the floor.

Tony stroked the younger man’s face. Peter smiled sweetly, kissing Tony before standing up. Tony was about to question him, as Peter pushed him to lie back against the bed, his hands reading up to the top button of his shirt as his eyes were glued to Tonys. 

The older man breathed in, as he watched his beautiful husband slowly remove his clothes. His skin looked so soft and touchable. As the shirt fell from Peter’s shoulders and dropped down to the floor. Tony had never noticed how firm Peter’s muscles were, how strong the younger man was. His eyes fell to Peter’s waistband as his hands opened them and let his trousers drop to the floor. 

Tony was already getting turned on, his eyes couldn’t pull away from him. Peter made his way to the bed, lifting his leg over his husband and straddled him.

"You say stop, we stop." Tony lightly touched Peter's neck with his lips.

"You feel uncomfortable or unhappy at any time, tell me, and we'll stop." He carried on grazing Peter's soft skin beneath his lips.

"I want this to be good for you, I want you to enjoy this."

"What about you? I want you to enjoy this too…" Peter's eyes were shut, and his voice was already entering the whimpering phase. 

He had dreamed about this exact moment in every way.

"Oh don't worry Pete, I will. I am." Tony kissed the younger boy softly. They lay like that for a few minutes, setting the pace. 

Peter opened his mouth, letting Tony slowly devour him, tongues battling each other. Stark slowly began to undo his own shirt. As he did so, Peter stopped him.

"Please, let me, I've been dying to do this."

The younger man's fingers slowly undid the buttons on his shirt, his eyes glued on the skin he was revealing. The older man's chest was beautiful. Peter thanked his lucky stars he was touching it, kissing it, feeling the man's body beneath him.

Tony watched as Peter helped him take his shirt off before kissing his chest. His kisses trailed up to Tony's nipples, flicking them with his tongue.

The older man wanted to close his eyes and enjoy the feeling, but he couldn't tear his eyes off of Peter getting so much enjoyment out of touching them. Tony moaned, encouraging Peter even more.

Peter was kissing every part of Tony's chest, his hands smoothing over the sides of his body. His hands reached the hem of Tony's trousers. He tilted his head up to catch Tony's eyes.

A whimper left Tony's lips as he breathed in deeply. Peter was a virgin, and was totally inexperienced, how was he so good at this?

Peter's fingers made their way up to Tony's leg, caressing his inner thigh. He undid Tony's trousers and kissed the soft skin underneath. 

He could feel his lovers dick become hard under him, that really spurred something in him. He mouthed Tony's erection through his boxers as he pulled the trousers off of him.

"Thought you weren't experienced in this?" Tony laughed softly. "You're doing everything right." 

Peter smiled as he nuzzled Tony's bulge. "I've never done this before, but I have thought this through a million times in my head.

The things we do in there Tony…" his voice trailed off.

Tony moved his hips in small thrusts every time Peter's lips connected with his dick. As Peter was about to take off his boxers, Tony placed his fingers on his chin and turned his head up to look at him.

"Come here babe,"

As Peter did just that, Tony turned him over, kissing him hungrily, one hand making small tugs at the boy's hair. His other hand slipping into the boy's underwear, he watched his hand go inside for a second and turned his attention to memorizing the expression on Peter's face as he touched him.

Peter was already getting turned on, but as soon as Tony touched his cock, he stood at full attention. 

"Mmm Tony," he moaned as he pressed upwards. Stark began to stroke him, "Do you like that? My hand around you?" He wore a devilish grin as Peter's eyes flickered. 

"Yeah… Tony, fuck."

Tony gave him a squeeze before he moved his hand and ripped Peter's boxers clean off of him, retracting a gasp from the younger man. 

He crawled up the younger man, locking him in a passionate kiss as they rolled around the bed, Tony slipped out of his underwear too, pressing his body on top of Peters. 

They rutted against each other, moaning into each others mouths. “Tony… tony..” Peter’s hands grabbed at the other man’s shoulders. 

“Tony, I want you inside me…” He whispered into Tony’s ear, biting his earlobe. 

“You sure Pete?”

“I’m sure.”

Tony reached over to the bedside take and took a box out of the drawer, “Remember babe, you say stop and we stop.”

Peter's heart was beating like crazy, his breathing heavily as he closed his eyes, immersing himself in the feeling of the man of his dreams trailing kisses down his body. His mind went blank as he felt the warmth of Tony’s mouth surrounding his erection.

“Fuck!” He moaned, thrusting his hips up as he was taken fully in Tony’s mouth. “Oh god, Tony,” 

Tony’s tongue flicked over the tip, arousing a loud moan from the man in question. He pulled back to watch the satisfaction on Peter's face. 

"I'm gonna prepare you now, tell me if you want me to stop." 

"I love you, don't worry I'll let you know if it's too much, please, I want this."

Tony didn't need to be told twice. He kissed Peters thigh as he moved to sit between his legs. His hands then opened the bottle of lube and lathered the cool gel onto his fingers.

He continued to kiss Peter's cock as he inserted his first finger into him. 

Peter stopped breathing for a moment, while he got used to the feeling, Tony moved slowly, continuing to kiss the younger man's lower body.

"Keep going…" he urged. 

Tony moved his finger in and out, "I can't wait to be inside you, god you're so beautiful right now, I wish you could see it. Fuck I could come just from watching you." 

"More," Peter moved his hips against Tony's hand. He inserted another finger, using the other hand to slowly pump Peter's erection to make things more comfortable.

"Ahhh...feels good." His eyes were shut, enjoying every twist of Tony's fingers.

Tony whimpered in want, he couldn't contain how aroused he was. Peter came undone before his eyes, all thanks to him.

"M...more…" he moaned again.

Tony inserted another finger, turning his finger upwards. He moved his fingers faster inside of him. P eter moved his hips with such urgency, his hands balling up in the sheets beneath him.

"FUCK! Yes right there," Peter shouted as Tony hit his G-spot. "Please, Tony, I need you…"

Stark removed his fingers and ripped open a condom with his teeth. Slipping it on himself, he moved so he was on top of Peter, lifting Peters right leg up and wrapping it around him.  He began to kiss Peter softly as he lowered his hips to settle his dick at the other man's entrance. 

He pulled his head back and gazed deeply into Peter's eyes. "I love you, Peter." He whispered.

"I love you too Tony." 

Tony pushed himself in slowly, filling Peter up. Peter's head tilted backward, as Tony kissed his neck. They started slowly, moving their hips together.

"God you're so tight," Tony groaned, thrusting into him. As Peter moaned, they moved faster, his hands gripping onto Tony's shoulders, nails digging into him. 

Peters moans spurred him on, moving faster and deeper into him. His hand moving between them to pump Peter's dick, his thumb grazing over the top every few pumps.

"Fuck tony… tony yes… I… ugh... I love you" he shouted in ecstasy, sweat pouring off of them both, grabbing each other as their bodies moved faster towards the edge.

"Peter, oh my god, Pete… ahhh!"

"I'm gonna cum! Kiss me!" Peter grabbed Tony's head, pressing against him in a heated, sloppy kiss. 

Tony's moved his hand faster, thrusting his hips, hitting the spot every time.

"TONY!" Peter called out, exploding between them. Cum shooting out all over their stomachs. As he shook out his orgasm, his muscles spasmed around Tony, sending him over the edge too. He rode out his orgasm, shouting Peter's name as he did.

They lay there, panting, breathing into each other's necks. "That was amazing." Peter was out of breath, his hair was sticking to his forehead. 

Tony held himself up by his arm, staring into the eyes of the person he loved most. He could see every moment they spent together flash before him and every moment they could have from now on. 

His eyes searched over Peter's face. Peter opened his eyes, meeting Tony's. 

"This really is all I've ever wanted." His voice was soft, filled with love. "You. You are all I ever wanted."

Tony smiled sweetly. "And you'll never lose me again. I promise."

"Tony?"

"Yeah?" He kissed the tip of Peter's nose and pulled back again.

"I love you 3000."


End file.
